Assignment of proxies for virtual-machine secondary copy operations including streaming backup jobs

ABSTRACT

A comprehensive approach to streaming backups for virtual machines (“VMs”) in a storage management system comprises improvements to the assignment of data agent proxies for VM secondary copy operations. New considerations in performing a VM streaming backup job include without limitation: determining and enforcing a system-wide per-proxy limit of concurrent data streams; generating an ordered priority list of the VMs to be backed up as a basis for choosing which proxies will back up the respective VM, though the illustrative system may not strictly adhere to the priority list based on further considerations; identifying a next available proxy based on data stream utilization at the proxy; and dynamically re-generating the priority list and re-evaluating considerations if some VMs become “stranded” due to a failure to be backed up. Secondary copy operations are distributed to proxies in ways that improve the chances of successfully completing VM streaming backups.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

Any and all applications, if any, for which a foreign or domestic priority claim is identified in the Application Data Sheet of the present application are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document and/or the patent disclosure as it appears in the United States Patent and Trademark Office patent file and/or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND

Businesses worldwide recognize the commercial value of their data and seek reliable cost-effective ways to protect the information stored on their computer networks. A company might back up critical computing systems such as databases, file servers, web servers, and so on as part of a daily, weekly, or monthly maintenance schedule. The company may similarly protect virtual machine resources, which are becoming increasingly popular platforms for a variety of business uses. One of the perennial challenges is to protect the company's data in a way that makes efficient use of resources, while reducing the impact on productivity and network resources.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary information management system.

FIG. 1B is a detailed view of a primary storage device, a secondary storage device, and some examples of primary data and secondary copy data.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of an exemplary information management system including a storage manager, one or more data agents, and one or more media agents.

FIG. 1D is a block diagram illustrating a scalable information management system.

FIG. 1E illustrates certain secondary copy operations according to an exemplary storage policy.

FIGS. 1F-1H are block diagrams illustrating suitable data structures that may be employed by the information management system.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating some salient portions of a system 200 for improving the assignment of data agent proxies in virtual-machine secondary copy operations including streaming backup jobs according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating some salient details of system 200, including a virtual machine cluster 202 and its constituent components.

FIG. 2C is a block diagram illustrating some salient details of system 200, including virtual-server data agent proxies 1-3, a coordinator data agent 242-1, and controller data agents 242-2 and 242-3.

FIG. 3 depicts some salient operations of a method 300 according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 depicts some salient sub-operations of block 304 of method 300.

FIG. 5 depicts some salient sub-operations of block 306 of method 300.

FIG. 6 depicts some salient sub-operations of block 504 in block 306 of method 300.

FIG. 7 depicts some salient sub-operations of block 308 of method 300.

FIG. 8 depicts some salient sub-operations of block 704 in block 308 of method 300.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With the popularity of virtual machines (“VMs”) progressively increasing, data that is generated and/or used by virtual machines may become correspondingly more valuable. Thus, backing up virtual machine data stores takes on added importance, especially with a view to better utilization of resources such as data agents for virtual machines and network resources in which these virtual machines operate. Although prior attempts were made to load balance amongst data agents for virtual machines (or “virtual server data agents” or “virtual server agents”), the embodiments according to the present invention take a more nuanced multi-dimensional approach that considers several dynamic factors in the course of planning and executing virtual machine secondary copy operations, including streaming backup jobs. Some prior art approaches are described in U.S. Patent Application Publications 2014/0196038 A1 and 2014/0196056 A1, which were both filed on Jan. 6, 2014 with the title “Virtual Server Agent Load Balancing,” and which are both incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.

Traditional load balancing techniques used for assigning resources to secondary copy operations such as streaming backup jobs may be deficient in the way in which the backup resources are actually utilized in a storage management system. For example, data agent proxies may become over-utilized or under-utilized when viewed at the system-wide level across several concurrent backup jobs. In some cases, virtual machines (“VMs”) that are targeted for a particular backup job are not backed up in a timely manner or at all, because of over-extended or failed proxies. In some cases, a backup job may take a toll on the performance of primary storage devices that store virtual machine data due to backup attempts that over-tax the primary storage devices. The need therefore exists for improved performance, timeliness, scalability, and fault tolerance when backing up virtual machines.

The present inventor devised a more comprehensive approach to streaming backups for virtual machines in a storage management system. The comprehensive approach comprises improvements to the assignment of data agent proxies for conducting VM secondary copy operations. The improvements include a number of new considerations that are introduced in the course of performing a VM streaming backup job, including without limitation:

-   -   Determining and enforcing a per-proxy maximum limit of         concurrent data streams that may be allowed for backup         operations at any given time, regardless of how many backup jobs         may be supported by the proxy;     -   Generating an ordered priority list of the virtual machines to         be backed up in the backup job, such that the priority list         provides a basis for choosing which proxies will perform the         backup of the respective virtual machine—although, notably, the         illustrative system may depart from strict adherence to the         priority list based on further considerations;     -   The ordering of the virtual machine priority list involves         identifying proxies that are eligible to back up each virtual         machine based on tiered modes of access to the respective         virtual machine's data store; e.g., direct and local access to         data stores is generally favored over networked access, in order         to allow for faster data movement using fewer resources;     -   The ordering of the virtual machine priority list is based on         assigning higher priority to virtual machines having fewer         eligible proxies in favor of virtual machines that have more         choices of eligible proxies, so that more limited virtual         machines may be backed up sooner to avoid becoming stranded;     -   The ordering of the virtual machine priority list is also based         on assigning higher priority to virtual machines having         relatively more total storage (i.e., bigger data stores) in         favor of virtual machines that have less total storage for their         data store, because smaller virtual machines may be less likely         to become stranded as the backup job progresses;     -   Identifying a next available proxy for a backup operation based         on data stream utilization at the proxy, such that currently         idle or lightly loaded proxies are favored over busier proxies         in order to better balance backup processes across proxies;     -   Identifying a virtual machine for the next backup operation is         based not only on its position in the ordered priority list, but         is further based on whether the proxy identified as next         available is eligible to back up the virtual machine, which may         favor a lower-priority virtual machine rather than strict         adherence to the ordering of the priority list;     -   Identifying a virtual machine for the next backup operation is         further based on whether the virtual machine's data store has a         relatively low level of backup access thereto, which may favor a         lower-priority virtual machine rather than strict adherence to         the ordering of the priority list;     -   Re-evaluating the choice of next available proxy throughout the         course of the backup job, such as after a virtual machine has         been backed up, and after a virtual machine backup operation has         started at a proxy;     -   Dynamically re-generating the priority list and re-evaluating         the above-mentioned considerations if some virtual machines         become “stranded” due to a failure to be backed up in a first         traversal of the priority list, such that the backup job         restarts with respect to only the stranded virtual machines and         the proxy access-mode tier limitations are relaxed in order to         broaden the field of eligible proxies and enhance fault         tolerance.

Applying one or more of these considerations, in any combination, will tend to improve performance and fault tolerance in VM streaming backups, by taking a more dynamic approach that is responsive to current conditions in the storage management system (e.g., busy proxies, busy data stores, network bottlenecks, out-of-service components, etc.). The illustrative approach distributes secondary copy operations to proxies in ways that improve the chances of successfully completing VM streaming backups. Moreover, the illustrative approach is tolerant of proxies that are out of service or have otherwise failed to perform a backup without necessarily needing to restart the backup job. These and other advantages are described in more detail below.

The passages above serve to summarize some of the considerations disclosed in the present patent document in order to ease the reader's understanding. Detailed descriptions and examples of systems and methods according to the present invention may be found in the section entitled IMPROVING THE ASSIGNMENT OF DATA AGENT PROXIES FOR EXECUTING VIRTUAL-MACHINE SECONDARY COPY OPERATIONS INCLUDING STREAMING BACKUP JOBS, as well as in the section entitled Example Embodiments, and also in FIGS. 2A-8 herein. Furthermore, components and functionality for improving the assignment of data agent proxies for executing virtual-machine secondary copy operations may be configured and/or incorporated into information management systems such as those described herein in FIGS. 1A-1H.

Information Management System Overview

With the increasing importance of protecting and leveraging data, organizations simply cannot afford to take the risk of losing critical data. Moreover, runaway data growth and other modern realities make protecting and managing data an increasingly difficult task. There is therefore a need for efficient, powerful, and user-friendly solutions for protecting and managing data.

Depending on the size of the organization, there are typically many data production sources which are under the purview of tens, hundreds, or even thousands of employees or other individuals. In the past, individual employees were sometimes responsible for managing and protecting their data. A patchwork of hardware and software point solutions has been applied in other cases. These solutions were often provided by different vendors and had limited or no interoperability.

Certain embodiments described herein provide systems and methods capable of addressing these and other shortcomings of prior approaches by implementing unified, organization-wide information management. FIG. 1A shows one such information management system 100, which generally includes combinations of hardware and software configured to protect and manage data and metadata, which is generated and used by the various computing devices in information management system 100. The organization that employs the information management system 100 may be a corporation or other business entity, non-profit organization, educational institution, household, governmental agency, or the like.

Generally, the systems and associated components described herein may be compatible with and/or provide some or all of the functionality of the systems and corresponding components described in one or more of the following U.S. patents and patent application publications assigned to Commvault Systems, Inc., each of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference herein:

-   -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,035,880, entitled “Modular Backup and Retrieval         System Used in Conjunction With a Storage Area Network”;     -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,298, entitled “System And Method For         Archiving Objects In An Information Store”;     -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,246,207, entitled “System and Method for         Dynamically Performing Storage Operations in a Computer         Network”;     -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,315,923, entitled “System And Method For         Combining Data Streams In Pipelined Storage Operations In A         Storage Network”;     -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453, entitled “Hierarchical Systems and         Methods for Providing a Unified View of Storage Information”;     -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,395,282, entitled “Hierarchical Backup and         Retrieval System”;     -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,529,782, entitled “System and Methods for         Performing a Snapshot and for Restoring Data”;     -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,617,262, entitled “System and Methods for         Monitoring Application Data in a Data Replication System”;     -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,747,579, entitled “Metabase for Facilitating         Data Classification”;     -   U.S. Pat. No. 8,156,086, entitled “Systems And Methods For         Stored Data Verification”;     -   U.S. Pat. No. 8,170,995, entitled “Method and System for Offline         Indexing of Content and Classifying Stored Data”;     -   U.S. Pat. No. 8,229,954, entitled “Managing Copies Of Data”;     -   U.S. Pat. No. 8,230,195, entitled “System And Method For         Performing Auxiliary Storage Operations”;     -   U.S. Pat. No. 8,285,681, entitled “Data Object Store and Server         for a Cloud Storage Environment, Including Data Deduplication         and Data Management Across Multiple Cloud Storage Sites”;     -   U.S. Pat. No. 8,307,177, entitled “Systems And Methods For         Management Of Virtualization Data”;     -   U.S. Pat. No. 8,364,652, entitled “Content-Aligned, Block-Based         Deduplication”;     -   U.S. Pat. No. 8,578,120, entitled “Block-Level Single         Instancing”;     -   U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2006/0224846, entitled “System and Method to         Support Single Instance Storage Operations”;     -   U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0319534, entitled “Application-Aware and         Remote Single Instance Data Management”;     -   U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2012/0150818, entitled “Client-Side         Repository in a Networked Deduplicated Storage System”;     -   U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2012/0150826, entitled “Distributed         Deduplicated Storage System”;     -   U.S. Pat. Pub. 2014/0196038 A1, entitled “Virtual Server Agent         Load Balancing”; and     -   U.S. Pat. Pub. 2014/0196056 A1, entitled “Virtual Server Agent         Load Balancing”.

The information management system 100 can include a variety of different computing devices. For instance, as will be described in greater detail herein, the information management system 100 can include one or more client computing devices 102 and secondary storage computing devices 106.

Computing devices can include, without limitation, one or more: workstations, personal computers, desktop computers, or other types of generally fixed computing systems such as mainframe computers and minicomputers. Other computing devices can include mobile or portable computing devices, such as one or more laptops, tablet computers, personal data assistants, mobile phones (such as smartphones), and other mobile or portable computing devices such as embedded computers, set top boxes, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable computers, etc. Computing devices can include servers, such as mail servers, file servers, database servers, and web servers.

In some cases, a computing device includes virtualized and/or cloud computing resources. For instance, one or more virtual machines may be provided to the organization by a third-party cloud service vendor. Or, in some embodiments, computing devices can include one or more virtual machine(s) running on a physical host computing device (or “host machine”) operated by the organization. As one example, the organization may use one virtual machine as a database server and another virtual machine as a mail server, both virtual machines operating on the same host machine.

A virtual machine includes an operating system and associated virtual resources, and is hosted simultaneously with another operating system on a physical host computer (or host machine). A hypervisor (typically software, and also known in the art as a virtual machine monitor or a virtual machine manager or “VMM”) sits between the virtual machine and the hardware of the physical host machine. One example of hypervisor as virtualization software is ESX Server, by VMware, Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., USA; other examples include Microsoft Virtual Server and Microsoft Windows Server Hyper-V, both by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., USA, and Sun xVM by Oracle America Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., USA. In some embodiments, the hypervisor may be firmware or hardware or a combination of software and/or firmware and/or hardware.

The hypervisor provides to each virtual operating system virtual resources, such as a virtual processor, virtual memory, a virtual network device, and a virtual disk. Each virtual machine has one or more virtual disks. The hypervisor typically stores the data of virtual disks in files on the file system of the physical host machine, called virtual machine disk files (in the case of VMware virtual servers) or virtual hard disk image files (in the case of Microsoft virtual servers). For example, VMware's ESX Server provides the Virtual Machine File System (VMFS) for the storage of virtual machine disk files. A virtual machine reads data from and writes data to its virtual disk much the same way that an actual physical machine reads data from and writes data to an actual disk.

Examples of techniques for implementing information management techniques in a cloud computing environment are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,285,681, which is incorporated by reference herein. Examples of techniques for implementing information management techniques in a virtualized computing environment are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,307,177, also incorporated by reference herein.

The information management system 100 can also include a variety of storage devices, including primary storage devices 104 and secondary storage devices 108, for example. Storage devices can generally be of any suitable type including, without limitation, disk drives, hard-disk arrays, semiconductor memory (e.g., solid state storage devices), network attached storage (NAS) devices, tape libraries or other magnetic, non-tape storage devices, optical media storage devices, DNA/RNA-based memory technology, combinations of the same, and the like. In some embodiments, storage devices can form part of a distributed file system. In some cases, storage devices are provided in a cloud (e.g., a private cloud or one operated by a third-party vendor). A storage device in some cases comprises a disk array or portion thereof.

The illustrated information management system 100 includes one or more client computing device 102 having at least one application 110 executing thereon, and one or more primary storage devices 104 storing primary data 112. The client computing device(s) 102 and the primary storage devices 104 may generally be referred to in some cases as a primary storage subsystem 117. A computing device in an information management system 100 that has a data agent 142 installed and operating on it is generally referred to as a client computing device 102 (or, in the context of a component of the information management system 100 simply as a “client”).

Depending on the context, the term “information management system” can refer to generally all of the illustrated hardware and software components. Or, in other instances, the term may refer to only a subset of the illustrated components.

For instance, in some cases, the information management system 100 generally refers to a combination of specialized components used to protect, move, manage, manipulate, analyze, and/or process data and metadata generated by the client computing devices 102. However, the information management system 100 in some cases does not include the underlying components that generate and/or store the primary data 112, such as the client computing devices 102 themselves, the applications 110 and operating system operating on the client computing devices 102, and the primary storage devices 104. As an example, “information management system” may sometimes refer to one or more of the following components and corresponding data structures: storage managers, data agents, and media agents. These components will be described in further detail below.

Client Computing Devices

There are typically a variety of sources in an organization that produce data to be protected and managed. As just one illustrative example, in a corporate environment such data sources can be employee workstations and company servers such as a mail server, a web server, a database server, a transaction server, or the like. In the information management system 100, the data generation sources include the one or more client computing devices 102.

The client computing devices 102 may include any of the types of computing devices described above, without limitation, and in some cases the client computing devices 102 are associated with one or more users and/or corresponding user accounts, of employees or other individuals.

The information management system 100 generally addresses and handles the data management and protection needs for the data generated by the client computing devices 102. However, the use of this term does not imply that the client computing devices 102 cannot be “servers” in other respects. For instance, a particular client computing device 102 may act as a server with respect to other devices, such as other client computing devices 102. As just a few examples, the client computing devices 102 can include mail servers, file servers, database servers, and web servers.

Each client computing device 102 may have one or more applications 110 (e.g., software applications) executing thereon which generate and manipulate the data that is to be protected from loss and managed. The applications 110 generally facilitate the operations of an organization (or multiple affiliated organizations), and can include, without limitation, mail server applications (e.g., Microsoft Exchange Server), file server applications, mail client applications (e.g., Microsoft Exchange Client), database applications (e.g., SQL, Oracle, SAP, Lotus Notes Database), word processing applications (e.g., Microsoft Word), spreadsheet applications, financial applications, presentation applications, graphics and/or video applications, browser applications, mobile applications, entertainment applications, and so on.

The client computing devices 102 can have at least one operating system (e.g., Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, IBM z/OS, Linux, other Unix-based operating systems, etc.) installed thereon, which may support or host one or more file systems and other applications 110.

The client computing devices 102 and other components in information management system 100 can be connected to one another via one or more communication pathways 114. For example, a first communication pathway 114 may connect (or communicatively couple) client computing device 102 and secondary storage computing device 106; a second communication pathway 114 may connect storage manager 140 and client computing device 102; and a third communication pathway 114 may connect storage manager 140 and secondary storage computing device 106, etc. (see, e.g., FIG. 1A and FIG. 1C). The communication pathways 114 can include one or more networks or other connection types including one or more of the following, without limitation: the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a Storage Area Network (SAN), a Fibre Channel connection, a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) connection, a virtual private network (VPN), a token ring or TCP/IP based network, an intranet network, a point-to-point link, a cellular network, a wireless data transmission system, a two-way cable system, an interactive kiosk network, a satellite network, a broadband network, a baseband network, a neural network, a mesh network, an ad hoc network, other appropriate wired, wireless, or partially wired/wireless computer or telecommunications networks, combinations of the same or the like. The communication pathways 114 in some cases may also include application programming interfaces (APIs) including, e.g., cloud service provider APIs, virtual machine management APIs, and hosted service provider APIs. The underlying infrastructure of communication paths 114 may be wired and/or wireless, analog and/or digital, or any combination thereof; and the facilities used may be private, public, third-party provided, or any combination thereof, without limitation.

Primary Data and Exemplary Primary Storage Devices

Primary data 112 according to some embodiments is production data or other “live” data generated by the operating system and/or applications 110 operating on a client computing device 102. The primary data 112 is generally stored on the primary storage device(s) 104 and is organized via a file system supported by the client computing device 102. For instance, the client computing device(s) 102 and corresponding applications 110 may create, access, modify, write, delete, and otherwise use primary data 112. In some cases, some or all of the primary data 112 can be stored in cloud storage resources (e.g., primary storage device 104 may be a cloud-based resource).

Primary data 112 is generally in the native format of the source application 110. According to certain aspects, primary data 112 is an initial or first (e.g., created before any other copies or before at least one other copy) stored copy of data generated by the source application 110. Primary data 112 in some cases is created substantially directly from data generated by the corresponding source applications 110.

The primary storage devices 104 storing the primary data 112 may be relatively fast and/or expensive technology (e.g., a disk drive, a hard-disk array, solid state memory, etc.). In addition, primary data 112 may be highly changeable and/or may be intended for relatively short term retention (e.g., hours, days, or weeks).

According to some embodiments, the client computing device 102 can access primary data 112 from the primary storage device 104 by making conventional file system calls via the operating system. Primary data 112 may include structured data (e.g., database files), unstructured data (e.g., documents), and/or semi-structured data. Some specific examples are described below with respect to FIG. 1B.

It can be useful in performing certain tasks to organize the primary data 112 into units of different granularities. In general, primary data 112 can include files, directories, file system volumes, data blocks, extents, or any other hierarchies or organizations of data objects. As used herein, a “data object” can refer to both (1) any file that is currently addressable by a file system or that was previously addressable by the file system (e.g., an archive file) and (2) a subset of such a file (e.g., a data block).

As will be described in further detail, it can also be useful in performing certain functions of the information management system 100 to access and modify metadata within the primary data 112. Metadata generally includes information about data objects or characteristics associated with the data objects. For simplicity herein, it is to be understood that, unless expressly stated otherwise, any reference to primary data 112 generally also includes its associated metadata, but references to the metadata do not include the primary data.

Metadata can include, without limitation, one or more of the following: the data owner (e.g., the client or user that generates the data), the last modified time (e.g., the time of the most recent modification of the data object), a data object name (e.g., a file name), a data object size (e.g., a number of bytes of data), information about the content (e.g., an indication as to the existence of a particular search term), user-supplied tags, to/from information for email (e.g., an email sender, recipient, etc.), creation date, file type (e.g., format or application type), last accessed time, application type (e.g., type of application that generated the data object), location/network (e.g., a current, past or future location of the data object and network pathways to/from the data object), geographic location (e.g., GPS coordinates), frequency of change (e.g., a period in which the data object is modified), business unit (e.g., a group or department that generates, manages or is otherwise associated with the data object), aging information (e.g., a schedule, such as a time period, in which the data object is migrated to secondary or long term storage), boot sectors, partition layouts, file location within a file folder directory structure, user permissions, owners, groups, access control lists [ACLs]), system metadata (e.g., registry information), combinations of the same or other similar information related to the data object.

In addition to metadata generated by or related to file systems and operating systems, some of the applications 110 and/or other components of the information management system 100 maintain indices of metadata for data objects, e.g., metadata associated with individual email messages. Thus, each data object may be associated with corresponding metadata. The use of metadata to perform classification and other functions is described in greater detail below.

Each of the client computing devices 102 are generally associated with and/or in communication with one or more of the primary storage devices 104 storing corresponding primary data 112. A client computing device 102 may be considered to be “associated with” or “in communication with” a primary storage device 104 if it is capable of one or more of: routing and/or storing data (e.g., primary data 112) to the particular primary storage device 104, coordinating the routing and/or storing of data to the particular primary storage device 104, retrieving data from the particular primary storage device 104, coordinating the retrieval of data from the particular primary storage device 104, and modifying and/or deleting data retrieved from the particular primary storage device 104.

The primary storage devices 104 can include any of the different types of storage devices described above, or some other kind of suitable storage device. The primary storage devices 104 may have relatively fast I/O times and/or are relatively expensive in comparison to the secondary storage devices 108. For example, the information management system 100 may generally regularly access data and metadata stored on primary storage devices 104, whereas data and metadata stored on the secondary storage devices 108 is accessed relatively less frequently.

Primary storage device 104 may be dedicated or shared. In some cases, each primary storage device 104 is dedicated to an associated client computing device 102. For instance, a primary storage device 104 in one embodiment is a local disk drive of a corresponding client computing device 102. In other cases, one or more primary storage devices 104 can be shared by multiple client computing devices 102, e.g., via a network such as in a cloud storage implementation. As one example, a primary storage device 104 can be a disk array shared by a group of client computing devices 102, such as one of the following types of disk arrays: EMC Clariion, EMC Symmetrix, EMC Celerra, Dell EqualLogic, IBM XIV, NetApp FAS, HP EVA, and HP 3PAR.

The information management system 100 may also include hosted services (not shown), which may be hosted in some cases by an entity other than the organization that employs the other components of the information management system 100. For instance, the hosted services may be provided by various online service providers to the organization. Such service providers can provide services including social networking services, hosted email services, or hosted productivity applications or other hosted applications). Hosted services may include software-as-a-service (SaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), application service providers (ASPs), cloud services, or other mechanisms for delivering functionality via a network. As it provides services to users, each hosted service may generate additional data and metadata under management of the information management system 100, e.g., as primary data 112. In some cases, the hosted services may be accessed using one of the applications 110. As an example, a hosted mail service may be accessed via browser running on a client computing device 102. The hosted services may be implemented in a variety of computing environments. In some cases, they are implemented in an environment having a similar arrangement to the information management system 100, where various physical and logical components are distributed over a network.

Secondary Copies and Exemplary Secondary Storage Devices

The primary data 112 stored on the primary storage devices 104 may be compromised in some cases, such as when an employee deliberately or accidentally deletes or overwrites primary data 112 during their normal course of work. Or the primary storage devices 104 can be damaged, lost, or otherwise corrupted. For recovery and/or regulatory compliance purposes, it is therefore useful to generate copies of the primary data 112. Accordingly, the information management system 100 includes one or more secondary storage computing devices 106 and one or more secondary storage devices 108 configured to create and store one or more secondary copies 116 of the primary data 112 and associated metadata. The secondary storage computing devices 106 and the secondary storage devices 108 may sometimes be referred to as a secondary storage subsystem 118.

Creation of secondary copies 116 can help in search and analysis efforts and meet other information management goals, such as: restoring data and/or metadata if an original version (e.g., of primary data 112) is lost (e.g., by deletion, corruption, or disaster); allowing point-in-time recovery; complying with regulatory data retention and electronic discovery (e-discovery) requirements; reducing utilized storage capacity; facilitating organization and search of data; improving user access to data files across multiple computing devices and/or hosted services; and implementing data retention policies.

The client computing devices 102 access or receive primary data 112 and communicate the data, e.g., over one or more communication pathways 114, for storage in the secondary storage device(s) 108.

A secondary copy 116 can comprise a separate stored copy of application data that is derived from one or more earlier-created, stored copies (e.g., derived from primary data 112 or another secondary copy 116). Secondary copies 116 can include point-in-time data, and may be intended for relatively long-term retention (e.g., weeks, months or years), before some or all of the data is moved to other storage or is discarded.

In some cases, a secondary copy 116 is a copy of application data created and stored subsequent to at least one other stored instance (e.g., subsequent to corresponding primary data 112 or to another secondary copy 116), in a different storage device than at least one previous stored copy, and/or remotely from at least one previous stored copy. In some other cases, secondary copies can be stored in the same storage device as primary data 112 and/or other previously stored copies. For example, in one embodiment a disk array capable of performing hardware snapshots stores primary data 112 and creates and stores hardware snapshots of the primary data 112 as secondary copies 116. Secondary copies 116 may be stored in relatively slow and/or low cost storage (e.g., magnetic tape). A secondary copy 116 may be stored in a backup or archive format, or in some other format different than the native source application format or other primary data format.

In some cases, secondary copies 116 are indexed so users can browse and restore at another point in time. After creation of a secondary copy 116 representative of certain primary data 112, a pointer or other location indicia (e.g., a stub) may be placed in primary data 112, or be otherwise associated with primary data 112 to indicate the current location on the secondary storage device(s) 108 of secondary copy 116.

Since an instance of a data object or metadata in primary data 112 may change over time as it is modified by an application 110 (or hosted service or the operating system), the information management system 100 may create and manage multiple secondary copies 116 of a particular data object or metadata, each representing the state of the data object in primary data 112 at a particular point in time. Moreover, since an instance of a data object in primary data 112 may eventually be deleted from the primary storage device 104 and the file system, the information management system 100 may continue to manage point-in-time representations of that data object, even though the instance in primary data 112 no longer exists.

For virtualized computing devices the operating system and other applications 110 of the client computing device(s) 102 may execute within or under the management of virtualization software (e.g., a VMM), and the primary storage device(s) 104 may comprise a virtual disk created on a physical storage device. The information management system 100 may create secondary copies 116 of the files or other data objects in a virtual disk file and/or secondary copies 116 of the entire virtual disk file itself (e.g., of an entire .vmdk file).

Secondary copies 116 may be distinguished from corresponding primary data 112 in a variety of ways, some of which will now be described. First, as discussed, secondary copies 116 can be stored in a different format (e.g., backup, archive, or other non-native format) than primary data 112. For this or other reasons, secondary copies 116 may not be directly useable by the applications 110 of the client computing device 102, e.g., via standard system calls or otherwise without modification, processing, or other intervention by the information management system 100.

Secondary copies 116 are also in some embodiments stored on a secondary storage device 108 that is inaccessible to the applications 110 running on the client computing devices 102 (and/or hosted services). Some secondary copies 116 may be “offline copies,” in that they are not readily available (e.g., not mounted to tape or disk). Offline copies can include copies of data that the information management system 100 can access without human intervention (e.g., tapes within an automated tape library, but not yet mounted in a drive), and copies that the information management system 100 can access only with at least some human intervention (e.g., tapes located at an offsite storage site).

The Use of Intermediate Devices for Creating Secondary Copies

Creating secondary copies can be a challenging task. For instance, there can be hundreds or thousands of client computing devices 102 continually generating large volumes of primary data 112 to be protected. Also, there can be significant overhead involved in the creation of secondary copies 116. Moreover, secondary storage devices 108 may be special purpose components, and interacting with them can require specialized intelligence.

In some cases, the client computing devices 102 interact directly with the secondary storage device 108 to create the secondary copies 116. However, in view of the factors described above, this approach can negatively impact the ability of the client computing devices 102 to serve the applications 110 and produce primary data 112. Further, the client computing devices 102 may not be optimized for interaction with the secondary storage devices 108.

Thus, in some embodiments, the information management system 100 includes one or more software and/or hardware components which generally act as intermediaries between the client computing devices 102 and the secondary storage devices 108. In addition to off-loading certain responsibilities from the client computing devices 102, these intermediate components can provide other benefits. For instance, as discussed further below with respect to FIG. 1D, distributing some of the work involved in creating secondary copies 116 can enhance scalability.

The intermediate components can include one or more secondary storage computing devices 106 as shown in FIG. 1A and/or one or more media agents, which can be software modules operating on corresponding secondary storage computing devices 106 (or other appropriate computing devices). Media agents are discussed below (e.g., with respect to FIGS. 1C-1E).

The secondary storage computing device(s) 106 can comprise any of the computing devices described above, without limitation. In some cases, the secondary storage computing device(s) 106 include specialized hardware and/or software componentry for interacting with the secondary storage devices 108.

To create a secondary copy 116 involving the copying of data from the primary storage subsystem 117 to the secondary storage subsystem 118, the client computing device 102 in some embodiments communicates the primary data 112 to be copied (or a processed version thereof) to the designated secondary storage computing device 106, via the communication pathway 114. The secondary storage computing device 106 in turn conveys the received data (or a processed version thereof) to the secondary storage device 108. In some such configurations, the communication pathway 114 between the client computing device 102 and the secondary storage computing device 106 comprises a portion of a LAN, WAN or SAN. In other cases, at least some client computing devices 102 communicate directly with the secondary storage devices 108 (e.g., via Fibre Channel or SCSI connections). In some other cases, one or more secondary copies 116 are created from existing secondary copies, such as in the case of an auxiliary copy operation, described in greater detail below.

Exemplary Primary Data and an Exemplary Secondary Copy

FIG. 1B is a detailed view showing some specific examples of primary data stored on the primary storage device(s) 104 and secondary copy data stored on the secondary storage device(s) 108, with other components in the system removed for the purposes of illustration. Stored on the primary storage device(s) 104 are primary data objects including word processing documents 119A-B, spreadsheets 120, presentation documents 122, video files 124, image files 126, email mailboxes 128 (and corresponding email messages 129A-C), html/xml or other types of markup language files 130, databases 132 and corresponding tables or other data structures 133A-133C).

Some or all primary data objects are associated with corresponding metadata (e.g., “Meta1-11”), which may include file system metadata and/or application specific metadata. Stored on the secondary storage device(s) 108 are secondary copy data objects 134A-C which may include copies of or otherwise represent corresponding primary data objects and metadata.

As shown, the secondary copy data objects 134A-C can individually represent more than one primary data object. For example, secondary copy data object 134A represents three separate primary data objects 133C, 122, and 129C (represented as 133C′, 122′, and 129C′, respectively, and accompanied by the corresponding metadata Meta11, Meta3, and Meta8, respectively). Moreover, as indicated by the prime mark (′), a secondary copy object may store a representation of a primary data object and/or metadata differently than the original format, e.g., in a compressed, encrypted, deduplicated, or other modified format. Likewise, secondary data object 134B represents primary data objects 120, 133B, and 119A as 120′, 133B′, and 119A′, respectively and accompanied by corresponding metadata Meta2, Meta10, and Meta1, respectively. Also, secondary data object 134C represents primary data objects 133A, 119B, and 129A as 133A′, 119B′, and 129A′, respectively, accompanied by corresponding metadata Meta9, Meta5, and Meta6, respectively.

Exemplary Information Management System Architecture

The information management system 100 can incorporate a variety of different hardware and software components, which can in turn be organized with respect to one another in many different configurations, depending on the embodiment. There are critical design choices involved in specifying the functional responsibilities of the components and the role of each component in the information management system 100. For instance, as will be discussed, such design choices can impact performance as well as the adaptability of the information management system 100 to data growth or other changing circumstances.

FIG. 1C shows an information management system 100 designed according to these considerations and which includes: storage manager 140, a centralized storage and/or information manager that is configured to perform certain control functions, one or more data agents 142 executing on the client computing device(s) 102 configured to process primary data 112, and one or more media agents 144 executing on the one or more secondary storage computing devices 106 for performing tasks involving the secondary storage devices 108. While distributing functionality amongst multiple computing devices can have certain advantages, in other contexts it can be beneficial to consolidate functionality on the same computing device. As such, in various other embodiments, one or more of the components shown in FIG. 1C as being implemented on separate computing devices are implemented on the same computing device. In one configuration, a storage manager 140, one or more data agents 142, and one or more media agents 144 are all implemented on the same computing device. In another embodiment, one or more data agents 142 and one or more media agents 144 are implemented on the same computing device, while the storage manager 140 is implemented on a separate computing device, etc. without limitation.

Storage Manager

As noted, the number of components in the information management system 100 and the amount of data under management can be quite large. Managing the components and data is therefore a significant task, and a task that can grow in an often unpredictable fashion as the quantity of components and data scale to meet the needs of the organization. For these and other reasons, according to certain embodiments, responsibility for controlling the information management system 100, or at least a significant portion of that responsibility, is allocated to the storage manager 140. By distributing control functionality in this manner, the storage manager 140 can be adapted independently according to changing circumstances. Moreover, a computing device for hosting the storage manager 140 can be selected to best suit the functions of the storage manager 140. These and other advantages are described in further detail below with respect to FIG. 1D.

The storage manager 140 may be a software module or other application, which, in some embodiments operates in conjunction with one or more associated data structures, e.g., a dedicated database (e.g., management database 146). In some embodiments, storage manager 140 is a computing device comprising circuitry for executing computer instructions and performs the functions described herein. The storage manager generally initiates, performs, coordinates and/or controls storage and other information management operations performed by the information management system 100, e.g., to protect and control the primary data 112 and secondary copies 116 of data and metadata. In general, storage manager 100 may be said to manage information management system 100, which includes managing the constituent components, e.g., data agents and media agents, etc.

As shown by the dashed arrowed lines 114 in FIG. 1C, the storage manager 140 may communicate with and/or control some or all elements of the information management system 100, such as the data agents 142 and media agents 144. Thus, in certain embodiments, control information originates from the storage manager 140 and status reporting is transmitted to storage manager 140 by the various managed components, whereas payload data and payload metadata is generally communicated between the data agents 142 and the media agents 144 (or otherwise between the client computing device(s) 102 and the secondary storage computing device(s) 106), e.g., at the direction of and under the management of the storage manager 140. Control information can generally include parameters and instructions for carrying out information management operations, such as, without limitation, instructions to perform a task associated with an operation, timing information specifying when to initiate a task associated with an operation, data path information specifying what components to communicate with or access in carrying out an operation, and the like. Payload data, on the other hand, can include the actual data involved in the storage operation, such as content data written to a secondary storage device 108 in a secondary copy operation. Payload metadata can include any of the types of metadata described herein, and may be written to a storage device along with the payload content data (e.g., in the form of a header).

In other embodiments, some information management operations are controlled by other components in the information management system 100 (e.g., the media agent(s) 144 or data agent(s) 142), instead of or in combination with the storage manager 140.

According to certain embodiments, the storage manager 140 provides one or more of the following functions:

-   -   initiating execution of secondary copy operations;     -   managing secondary storage devices 108 and inventory/capacity of         the same;     -   reporting, searching, and/or classification of data in the         information management system 100;     -   allocating secondary storage devices 108 for secondary storage         operations;     -   monitoring completion of and providing status reporting related         to secondary storage operations;     -   tracking age information relating to secondary copies 116,         secondary storage devices 108, and comparing the age information         against retention guidelines;     -   tracking movement of data within the information management         system 100;     -   tracking logical associations between components in the         information management system 100;     -   protecting metadata associated with the information management         system 100; and     -   implementing operations management functionality.

The storage manager 140 may maintain a database 146 (or “storage manager database 146” or “management database 146”) of management-related data and information management policies 148. The database 146 may include a management index 150 (or “index 150”) or other data structure that stores logical associations between components of the system, user preferences and/or profiles (e.g., preferences regarding encryption, compression, or deduplication of primary or secondary copy data, preferences regarding the scheduling, type, or other aspects of primary or secondary copy or other operations, mappings of particular information management users or user accounts to certain computing devices or other components, etc.), management tasks, media containerization, or other useful data. For example, the storage manager 140 may use the index 150 to track logical associations between media agents 144 and secondary storage devices 108 and/or movement of data from primary storage devices 104 to secondary storage devices 108. For instance, the index 150 may store data associating a client computing device 102 with a particular media agent 144 and/or secondary storage device 108, as specified in an information management policy 148 (e.g., a storage policy, which is defined in more detail below).

Administrators and other people may be able to configure and initiate certain information management operations on an individual basis. But while this may be acceptable for some recovery operations or other relatively less frequent tasks, it is often not workable for implementing on-going organization-wide data protection and management. Thus, the information management system 100 may utilize information management policies 148 for specifying and executing information management operations (e.g., on an automated basis). Generally, an information management policy 148 can include a data structure or other information source that specifies a set of parameters (e.g., criteria and rules) associated with storage or other information management operations.

The storage manager database 146 may maintain the information management policies 148 and associated data, although the information management policies 148 can be stored in any appropriate location. For instance, an information management policy 148 such as a storage policy may be stored as metadata in a media agent database 152 or in a secondary storage device 108 (e.g., as an archive copy) for use in restore operations or other information management operations, depending on the embodiment. Information management policies 148 are described further below.

According to certain embodiments, the storage manager database 146 comprises a relational database (e.g., an SQL database) for tracking metadata, such as metadata associated with secondary copy operations (e.g., what client computing devices 102 and corresponding data were protected). This and other metadata may additionally be stored in other locations, such as at the secondary storage computing devices 106 or on the secondary storage devices 108, allowing data recovery without the use of the storage manager 140 in some cases.

As shown, the storage manager 140 may include a jobs agent 156, a user interface 158, and a management agent 154, all of which may be implemented as interconnected software modules or application programs.

The jobs agent 156 in some embodiments initiates, controls, and/or monitors the status of some or all storage or other information management operations previously performed, currently being performed, or scheduled to be performed by the information management system 100. For instance, the jobs agent 156 may access information management policies 148 to determine when and how to initiate and control secondary copy and other information management operations, as will be discussed further.

The user interface 158 may include information processing and display software, such as a graphical user interface (“GUI”), an application program interface (“API”), or other interactive interface(s) through which users and system processes can retrieve information about the status of information management operations (e.g., storage operations) or issue instructions to the information management system 100 and its constituent components. Via the user interface 158, users may optionally issue instructions to the components in the information management system 100 regarding performance of storage and recovery operations. For example, a user may modify a schedule concerning the number of pending secondary copy operations. As another example, a user may employ the GUI to view the status of pending storage operations or to monitor the status of certain components in the information management system 100 (e.g., the amount of capacity left in a storage device).

An “information management cell” (or “storage operation cell” or “cell”) may generally include a logical and/or physical grouping of a combination of hardware and software components associated with performing information management operations on electronic data, typically one storage manager 140 and at least one client computing device 102 (comprising data agent(s) 142) and at least one media agent 144. For instance, the components shown in FIG. 1C may together form an information management cell. Multiple cells may be organized hierarchically. With this configuration, cells may inherit properties from hierarchically superior cells or be controlled by other cells in the hierarchy (automatically or otherwise). Alternatively, in some embodiments, cells may inherit or otherwise be associated with information management policies, preferences, information management metrics, or other properties or characteristics according to their relative position in a hierarchy of cells. Cells may also be delineated and/or organized hierarchically according to function, geography, architectural considerations, or other factors useful or desirable in performing information management operations. A first cell may represent a geographic segment of an enterprise, such as a Chicago office, and a second cell may represent a different geographic segment, such as a New York office. Other cells may represent departments within a particular office. Where delineated by function, a first cell may perform one or more first types of information management operations (e.g., one or more first types of secondary or other copies), and a second cell may perform one or more second types of information management operations (e.g., one or more second types of secondary or other copies).

The storage manager 140 may also track information that permits it to select, designate, or otherwise identify content indices, deduplication databases, or similar databases or resources or data sets within its information management cell (or another cell) to be searched in response to certain queries. Such queries may be entered by the user via interaction with the user interface 158. In general, the management agent 154 allows multiple information management cells to communicate with one another. For example, the information management system 100 in some cases may be one information management cell of a network of multiple cells adjacent to one another or otherwise logically related in a WAN or LAN. With this arrangement, the cells may be connected to one another through respective management agents 154.

For instance, the management agent 154 can provide the storage manager 140 with the ability to communicate with other components within the information management system 100 (and/or other cells within a larger information management system) via network protocols and application programming interfaces (“APIs”) including, e.g., HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, REST, virtualization software APIs, cloud service provider APIs, and hosted service provider APIs. Inter-cell communication and hierarchy is described in greater detail in e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,747,579 and 7,343,453, which are incorporated by reference herein.

Data Agents

As discussed, a variety of different types of applications 110 can operate on a given client computing device 102, including operating systems, database applications, e-mail applications, and virtual machines, just to name a few. And, as part of the process of creating and restoring secondary copies 116, the client computing devices 102 may be tasked with processing and preparing the primary data 112 from these various different applications 110. Moreover, the nature of the processing/preparation can differ across clients and application types, e.g., due to inherent structural and formatting differences among applications 110.

The one or more data agent(s) 142 are therefore advantageously configured in some embodiments to assist in the performance of information management operations based on the type of data that is being protected, at a client-specific and/or application-specific level.

The data agent 142 may be a software module or component that is generally responsible for managing, initiating, or otherwise assisting in the performance of information management operations in information management system 100, generally as directed by storage manager 140. For instance, the data agent 142 may take part in performing data storage operations such as the copying, archiving, migrating, and/or replicating of primary data 112 stored in the primary storage device(s) 104. The data agent 142 may receive control information from the storage manager 140, such as commands to transfer copies of data objects, metadata, and other payload data to the media agents 144.

In some embodiments, a data agent 142 may be distributed between the client computing device 102 and storage manager 140 (and any other intermediate components) or may be deployed from a remote location or its functions approximated by a remote process that performs some or all of the functions of data agent 142. In addition, a data agent 142 may perform some functions provided by a media agent 144, or may perform other functions such as encryption and deduplication.

As indicated, each data agent 142 may be specialized for a particular application 110, and the system can employ multiple application-specific data agents 142, each of which may perform information management operations (e.g., perform backup, migration, and data recovery) associated with a different application 110. For instance, different individual data agents 142 may be designed to handle Microsoft Exchange data, Lotus Notes data, Microsoft Windows file system data, Microsoft Active Directory Objects data, SQL Server data, SharePoint data, Oracle database data, SAP database data, virtual machines and/or associated data, and other types of data.

A file system data agent, for example, may handle data files and/or other file system information. If a client computing device 102 has two or more types of data, a specialized data agent 142 may be used for each data type to copy, archive, migrate, and restore the client computing device 102 data. For example, to backup, migrate, and/or restore all of the data on a Microsoft Exchange server, the client computing device 102 may use a Microsoft Exchange Mailbox data agent 142 to back up the Exchange mailboxes, a Microsoft Exchange Database data agent 142 to back up the Exchange databases, a Microsoft Exchange Public Folder data agent 142 to back up the Exchange Public Folders, and a Microsoft Windows File System data agent 142 to back up the file system of the client computing device 102. In such embodiments, these specialized data agents 142 may be treated as four separate data agents 142 even though they operate on the same client computing device 102.

Other embodiments may employ one or more generic data agents 142 that can handle and process data from two or more different applications 110, or that can handle and process multiple data types, instead of or in addition to using specialized data agents 142. For example, one generic data agent 142 may be used to back up, migrate and restore Microsoft Exchange Mailbox data and Microsoft Exchange Database data while another generic data agent may handle Microsoft Exchange Public Folder data and Microsoft Windows File System data.

Each data agent 142 may be configured to access data and/or metadata stored in the primary storage device(s) 104 associated with the data agent 142 and process the data as appropriate. For example, during a secondary copy operation, the data agent 142 may arrange or assemble the data and metadata into one or more files having a certain format (e.g., a particular backup or archive format) before transferring the file(s) to a media agent 144 or other component. The file(s) may include a list of files or other metadata. Each data agent 142 can also assist in restoring data or metadata to primary storage devices 104 from a secondary copy 116. For instance, the data agent 142 may operate in conjunction with the storage manager 140 and one or more of the media agents 144 to restore data from secondary storage device(s) 108.

Media Agents

As indicated above with respect to FIG. 1A, off-loading certain responsibilities from the client computing devices 102 to intermediate components such as the media agent(s) 144 can provide a number of benefits including improved client computing device 102 operation, faster secondary copy operation performance, and enhanced scalability. In one specific example which will be discussed below in further detail, the media agent 144 can act as a local cache of copied data and/or metadata that it has stored to the secondary storage device(s) 108, providing improved restore capabilities.

Generally speaking, a media agent 144 may be implemented as a software module that manages, coordinates, and facilitates the transmission of data, as directed by the storage manager 140, between a client computing device 102 and one or more secondary storage devices 108. Whereas the storage manager 140 controls the operation of the information management system 100, the media agent 144 generally provides a portal to secondary storage devices 108. For instance, other components in the system interact with the media agents 144 to gain access to data stored on the secondary storage devices 108, whether it be for the purposes of reading, writing, modifying, or deleting data. Moreover, as will be described further, media agents 144 can generate and store information relating to characteristics of the stored data and/or metadata, or can generate and store other types of information that generally provides insight into the contents of the secondary storage devices 108.

Media agents 144 can comprise separate nodes in the information management system 100 (e.g., nodes that are separate from the client computing devices 102, storage manager 140, and/or secondary storage devices 108). In general, a node within the information management system 100 can be a logically and/or physically separate component, and in some cases is a component that is individually addressable or otherwise identifiable. In addition, each media agent 144 may operate on a dedicated secondary storage computing device 106 in some cases, while in other embodiments a plurality of media agents 144 operate on the same secondary storage computing device 106.

A media agent 144 (and corresponding media agent database 152) may be considered to be “associated with” a particular secondary storage device 108 if that media agent 144 is capable of one or more of: routing and/or storing data to the particular secondary storage device 108, coordinating the routing and/or storing of data to the particular secondary storage device 108, retrieving data from the particular secondary storage device 108, coordinating the retrieval of data from a particular secondary storage device 108, and modifying and/or deleting data retrieved from the particular secondary storage device 108.

While media agent(s) 144 are generally associated with one or more secondary storage devices 108, one or more media agents 144 in certain embodiments are physically separate from the secondary storage devices 108. For instance, the media agents 144 may operate on secondary storage computing devices 106 having different housings or packages than the secondary storage devices 108. In one example, a media agent 144 operates on a first server computer and is in communication with a secondary storage device(s) 108 operating in a separate, rack-mounted RAID-based system.

Where the information management system 100 includes multiple media agents 144 (see, e.g., FIG. 1D), a first media agent 144 may provide failover functionality for a second, failed media agent 144. In addition, media agents 144 can be dynamically selected for storage operations to provide load balancing. Failover and load balancing are described in greater detail below.

In operation, a media agent 144 associated with a particular secondary storage device 108 may instruct the secondary storage device 108 to perform an information management operation. For instance, a media agent 144 may instruct a tape library to use a robotic arm or other retrieval means to load or eject a certain storage media, and to subsequently archive, migrate, or retrieve data to or from that media, e.g., for the purpose of restoring the data to a client computing device 102. As another example, a secondary storage device 108 may include an array of hard disk drives or solid state drives organized in a RAID configuration, and the media agent 144 may forward a logical unit number (LUN) and other appropriate information to the array, which uses the received information to execute the desired storage operation. The media agent 144 may communicate with a secondary storage device 108 via a suitable communications link, such as a SCSI or Fiber Channel link.

As shown, each media agent 144 may maintain an associated media agent database 152. The media agent database 152 may be stored in a disk or other storage device (not shown) that is local to the secondary storage computing device 106 on which the media agent 144 operates. In other cases, the media agent database 152 is stored remotely from the secondary storage computing device 106.

The media agent database 152 can include, among other things, an index 153 (see, e.g., FIG. 1C), which comprises information generated during secondary copy operations and other storage or information management operations. The index 153 provides a media agent 144 or other component with a fast and efficient mechanism for locating secondary copies 116 or other data stored in the secondary storage devices 108. In some cases, the index 153 does not form a part of and is instead separate from the media agent database 152.

A media agent index 153 or other data structure associated with the particular media agent 144 may include information about the stored data. For instance, for each secondary copy 116, the index 153 may include metadata such as a list of the data objects (e.g., files/subdirectories, database objects, mailbox objects, etc.), a path to the secondary copy 116 on the corresponding secondary storage device 108, location information indicating where the data objects are stored in the secondary storage device 108, when the data objects were created or modified, etc. Thus, the index 153 includes metadata associated with the secondary copies 116 that is readily available for use without having to be first retrieved from the secondary storage device 108. In yet further embodiments, some or all of the information in index 153 may instead or additionally be stored along with the secondary copies of data in a secondary storage device 108. In some embodiments, the secondary storage devices 108 can include sufficient information to perform a “bare metal restore”, where the operating system of a failed client computing device 102 or other restore target is automatically rebuilt as part of a restore operation.

Because the index 153 maintained in the media agent database 152 may operate as a cache, it can also be referred to as “an index cache.” In such cases, information stored in the index cache 153 typically comprises data that reflects certain particulars about storage operations that have occurred relatively recently. After some triggering event, such as after a certain period of time elapses, or the index cache 153 reaches a particular size, the index cache 153 may be copied or migrated to a secondary storage device(s) 108. This information may need to be retrieved and uploaded back into the index cache 153 or otherwise restored to a media agent 144 to facilitate retrieval of data from the secondary storage device(s) 108. In some embodiments, the cached information may include format or containerization information related to archives or other files stored on the storage device(s) 108. In this manner, the index cache 153 allows for accelerated restores.

In some alternative embodiments the media agent 144 generally acts as a coordinator or facilitator of storage operations between client computing devices 102 and corresponding secondary storage devices 108, but does not actually write the data to the secondary storage device 108. For instance, the storage manager 140 (or the media agent 144) may instruct a client computing device 102 and secondary storage device 108 to communicate with one another directly. In such a case the client computing device 102 transmits the data directly or via one or more intermediary components to the secondary storage device 108 according to the received instructions, and vice versa. In some such cases, the media agent 144 may still receive, process, and/or maintain metadata related to the storage operations. Moreover, in these embodiments, the payload data can flow through the media agent 144 for the purposes of populating the index cache 153 maintained in the media agent database 152, but not for writing to the secondary storage device 108.

The media agent 144 and/or other components such as the storage manager 140 may in some cases incorporate additional functionality, such as data classification, content indexing, deduplication, encryption, compression, and the like. Further details regarding these and other functions are described below.

Distributed, Scalable Architecture

As described, certain functions of the information management system 100 can be distributed amongst various physical and/or logical components in the system. For instance, one or more of the storage manager 140, data agents 142, and media agents 144 may operate on computing devices that are physically separate from one another. This architecture can provide a number of benefits.

For instance, hardware and software design choices for each distributed component can be targeted to suit its particular function. The secondary computing devices 106 on which the media agents 144 operate can be tailored for interaction with associated secondary storage devices 108 and provide fast index cache operation, among other specific tasks. Similarly, the client computing device(s) 102 can be selected to effectively service the applications 110 thereon, in order to efficiently produce and store primary data 112.

Moreover, in some cases, one or more of the individual components in the information management system 100 can be distributed to multiple, separate computing devices. As one example, for large file systems where the amount of data stored in the management database 146 is relatively large, the database 146 may be migrated to or otherwise reside on a specialized database server (e.g., an SQL server) separate from a server that implements the other functions of the storage manager 140. This distributed configuration can provide added protection because the database 146 can be protected with standard database utilities (e.g., SQL log shipping or database replication) independent from other functions of the storage manager 140. The database 146 can be efficiently replicated to a remote site for use in the event of a disaster or other data loss at the primary site. Or the database 146 can be replicated to another computing device within the same site, such as to a higher performance machine in the event that a storage manager host device can no longer service the needs of a growing information management system 100.

The distributed architecture also provides both scalability and efficient component utilization. FIG. 1D shows an embodiment of the information management system 100 including a plurality of client computing devices 102 and associated data agents 142 as well as a plurality of secondary storage computing devices 106 and associated media agents 144.

Additional components can be added or subtracted based on the evolving needs of the information management system 100. For instance, depending on where bottlenecks are identified, administrators can add additional client computing devices 102, secondary storage computing devices 106 (and corresponding media agents 144), and/or secondary storage devices 108. Moreover, where multiple fungible components are available, load balancing can be implemented to dynamically address identified bottlenecks. As an example, the storage manager 140 may dynamically select which media agents 144 and/or secondary storage devices 108 to use for storage operations based on a processing load analysis of the media agents 144 and/or secondary storage devices 108, respectively.

Moreover, each client computing device 102 in some embodiments can communicate with, among other components, any of the media agents 144, e.g., as directed by the storage manager 140. And each media agent 144 may be able to communicate with, among other components, any of the secondary storage devices 108, e.g., as directed by the storage manager 140. Thus, operations can be routed to the secondary storage devices 108 in a dynamic and highly flexible manner, to provide load balancing, failover, and the like. Further examples of scalable systems capable of dynamic storage operations, and of systems capable of performing load balancing and fail over are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,246,207, which is incorporated by reference herein.

In alternative configurations, certain components are not distributed and may instead reside and execute on the same computing device. For example, in some embodiments, one or more data agents 142 and the storage manager 140 operate on the same client computing device 102. In another embodiment, one or more data agents 142 and one or more media agents 144 operate on a single computing device.

Exemplary Types of Information Management Operations

In order to protect and leverage stored data, the information management system 100 can be configured to perform a variety of information management operations. As will be described, these operations can generally include secondary copy and other data movement operations, processing and data manipulation operations, analysis, reporting, and management operations. The operations described herein may be performed on any type of computing device, e.g., between two computers connected via a LAN, to a mobile client telecommunications device connected to a server via a WLAN, to any manner of client computing device coupled to a cloud storage target, etc., without limitation.

Data Movement Operations

Data movement operations according to certain embodiments are generally operations that involve the copying or migration of data (e.g., payload data) between different locations in the information management system 100 in an original/native and/or one or more different formats. For example, data movement operations can include operations in which stored data is copied, migrated, or otherwise transferred from one or more first storage devices to one or more second storage devices, such as from primary storage device(s) 104 to secondary storage device(s) 108, from secondary storage device(s) 108 to different secondary storage device(s) 108, from secondary storage devices 108 to primary storage devices 104, or from primary storage device(s) 104 to different primary storage device(s) 104.

Data movement operations can include by way of example, backup operations, archive operations, information lifecycle management operations such as hierarchical storage management operations, replication operations (e.g., continuous data replication operations), snapshot operations, deduplication or single-instancing operations, auxiliary copy operations, and the like. As will be discussed, some of these operations involve the copying, migration or other movement of data, without actually creating multiple, distinct copies. Nonetheless, some or all of these operations are referred to as “copy” operations for simplicity.

Backup Operations

A backup operation creates a copy of a version of data (e.g., one or more files or other data units) in primary data 112 at a particular point in time. Each subsequent backup copy may be maintained independently of the first. Further, a backup copy in some embodiments is generally stored in a form that is different than the native format, e.g., a backup format. This can be in contrast to the version in primary data 112 from which the backup copy is derived, and which may instead be stored in a native format of the source application(s) 110. In various cases, backup copies can be stored in a format in which the data is compressed, encrypted, deduplicated, and/or otherwise modified from the original application format. For example, a backup copy may be stored in a backup format that facilitates compression and/or efficient long-term storage.

Backup copies can have relatively long retention periods as compared to primary data 112, and may be stored on media with slower retrieval times than primary data 112 and certain other types of secondary copies 116. On the other hand, backups may have relatively shorter retention periods than some other types of secondary copies 116, such as archive copies (described below). Backups may sometimes be stored at an offsite location.

Backup operations can include full backups, differential backups, incremental backups, “synthetic full” backups, and/or creating a “reference copy.” A full backup (or “standard full backup”) in some embodiments is generally a complete image of the data to be protected. However, because full backup copies can consume a relatively large amount of storage, it can be useful to use a full backup copy as a baseline and only store changes relative to the full backup copy for subsequent backup copies.

For instance, a differential backup operation (or cumulative incremental backup operation) tracks and stores changes that have occurred since the last full backup. Differential backups can grow quickly in size, but can provide relatively efficient restore times because a restore can be completed in some cases using only the full backup copy and the latest differential copy.

An incremental backup operation generally tracks and stores changes since the most recent backup copy of any type, which can greatly reduce storage utilization. In some cases, however, restore times can be relatively long in comparison to full or differential backups because completing a restore operation may involve accessing a full backup in addition to multiple incremental backups.

Synthetic full backups generally consolidate data without directly backing up data from the client computing device. A synthetic full backup is created from the most recent full backup (i.e., standard or synthetic) and subsequent incremental and/or differential backups. The resulting synthetic full backup is identical to what would have been created had the last backup for the subclient been a standard full backup. Unlike standard full, incremental, and differential backups, a synthetic full backup does not actually transfer data from a client computer to the backup media, because it operates as a backup consolidator. A synthetic full backup extracts the index data of each participating subclient. Using this index data and the previously backed up user data images, it builds new full backup images, one for each subclient. The new backup images consolidate the index and user data stored in the related incremental, differential, and previous full backups, in some embodiments creating an archive file at the subclient level.

Any of the above types of backup operations can be at the volume-level, file-level, or block-level. Volume level backup operations generally involve the copying of a data volume (e.g., a logical disk or partition) as a whole. In a file-level backup, the information management system 100 may generally track changes to individual files, and includes copies of files in the backup copy. In the case of a block-level backup, files are broken into constituent blocks, and changes are tracked at the block-level. Upon restore, the information management system 100 reassembles the blocks into files in a transparent fashion.

Far less data may actually be transferred and copied to the secondary storage devices 108 during a file-level copy than a volume-level copy. Likewise, a block-level copy may involve the transfer of less data than a file-level copy, resulting in faster execution times. However, restoring a relatively higher-granularity copy can result in longer restore times. For instance, when restoring a block-level copy, the process of locating constituent blocks can sometimes result in longer restore times as compared to file-level backups. Similar to backup operations, the other types of secondary copy operations described herein can also be implemented at either the volume-level, file-level, or block-level.

For example, in some embodiments, a reference copy may comprise copy(ies) of selected objects from backed up data, typically to help organize data by keeping contextual information from multiple sources together, and/or help retain specific data for a longer period of time, such as for legal hold needs. A reference copy generally maintains data integrity, and when the data is restored, it may be viewed in the same format as the source data. In some embodiments, a reference copy is based on a specialized client, individual subclient and associated information management policies (e.g., storage policy, retention policy, etc.) that are administered within information management system 100.

Archive Operations

Because backup operations generally involve maintaining a version of the copied data in primary data 112 and also maintaining backup copies in secondary storage device(s) 108, they can consume significant storage capacity. To help reduce storage consumption, an archive operation according to certain embodiments creates a secondary copy 116 by both copying and removing source data. Or, seen another way, archive operations can involve moving some or all of the source data to the archive destination. Thus, data satisfying criteria for removal (e.g., data of a threshold age or size) may be removed from source storage. The source data may be primary data 112 or a secondary copy 116, depending on the situation. As with backup copies, archive copies can be stored in a format in which the data is compressed, encrypted, deduplicated, and/or otherwise modified from the format of the original application or source copy. In addition, archive copies may be retained for relatively long periods of time (e.g., years) and, in some cases, are never deleted. Archive copies are generally retained for longer periods of time than backup copies, for example. In certain embodiments, archive copies may be made and kept for extended periods in order to meet compliance regulations.

Moreover, when primary data 112 is archived, in some cases the corresponding primary data 112 or a portion thereof is deleted when creating the archive copy. Thus, archiving can serve the purpose of freeing up space in the primary storage device(s) 104 and easing the demand on computational resources on client computing device 102. Similarly, when a secondary copy 116 is archived, the secondary copy 116 may be deleted, and an archive copy can therefore serve the purpose of freeing up space in secondary storage device(s) 108. In contrast, source copies often remain intact when creating backup copies. Examples of compatible data archiving operations are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,298, which is incorporated by reference herein.

Snapshot Operations

Snapshot operations can provide a relatively lightweight, efficient mechanism for protecting data. From an end-user viewpoint, a snapshot may be thought of as an “instant” image of the primary data 112 at a given point in time, and may include state and/or status information relative to an application that creates/manages the primary data 112. In one embodiment, a snapshot may generally capture the directory structure of an object in primary data 112 such as a file or volume or other data set at a particular moment in time and may also preserve file attributes and contents. A snapshot in some cases is created relatively quickly, e.g., substantially instantly, using a minimum amount of file space, but may still function as a conventional file system backup.

A “hardware snapshot” (or “hardware-based snapshot”) operation can be a snapshot operation where a target storage device (e.g., a primary storage device 104 or a secondary storage device 108) performs the snapshot operation in a self-contained fashion, substantially independently, using hardware, firmware and/or software operating on the storage device itself. For instance, the storage device may be capable of performing snapshot operations upon request, generally without intervention or oversight from any of the other components in the information management system 100. In this manner, hardware snapshots can off-load other components of information management system 100 from processing involved in snapshot creation and management.

A “software snapshot” (or “software-based snapshot”) operation, on the other hand, can be a snapshot operation in which one or more other components in information management system 100 (e.g., client computing devices 102, data agents 142, etc.) implement a software layer that manages the snapshot operation via interaction with the target storage device. For instance, the component executing the snapshot management software layer may derive a set of pointers and/or data that represents the snapshot. The snapshot management software layer may then transmit the same to the target storage device, along with appropriate instructions for writing the snapshot.

Some types of snapshots do not actually create another physical copy of all the data as it existed at the particular point in time, but may simply create pointers that are able to map files and directories to specific memory locations (e.g., to specific disk blocks) where the data resides, as it existed at the particular point in time. For example, a snapshot copy may include a set of pointers derived from the file system or from an application. In some other cases, the snapshot may be created at the block-level, such that creation of the snapshot occurs without awareness of the file system. Each pointer points to a respective stored data block, so that collectively, the set of pointers reflect the storage location and state of the data object (e.g., file(s) or volume(s) or data set(s)) at a particular point in time when the snapshot copy was created.

An initial snapshot may use only a small amount of disk space needed to record a mapping or other data structure representing or otherwise tracking the blocks that correspond to the current state of the file system. Additional disk space is usually required only when files and directories are modified later on. Furthermore, when files are modified, typically only the pointers which map to blocks are copied, not the blocks themselves. In some embodiments, for example in the case of “copy-on-write” snapshots, when a block changes in primary storage, the block is copied to secondary storage or cached in primary storage before the block is overwritten in primary storage, and the pointer to that block is changed to reflect the new location of that block. The snapshot mapping of file system data may also be updated to reflect the changed block(s) at that particular point in time. In some other cases, a snapshot includes a full physical copy of all or substantially all of the data represented by the snapshot. Further examples of snapshot operations are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,529,782, which is incorporated by reference herein.

A snapshot copy in many cases can be made quickly and without significantly impacting primary computing resources because large amounts of data need not be copied or moved. In some embodiments, a snapshot may exist as a virtual file system, parallel to the actual file system. Users in some cases gain read-only access to the record of files and directories of the snapshot. By electing to restore primary data 112 from a snapshot taken at a given point in time, users may also return the current file system to the state of the file system that existed when the snapshot was taken.

Replication Operations

Another type of secondary copy operation is a replication operation. Some types of secondary copies 116 are used to periodically capture images of primary data 112 at particular points in time (e.g., backups, archives, and snapshots). However, it can also be useful for recovery purposes to protect primary data 112 in a more continuous fashion, by replicating the primary data 112 substantially as changes occur. In some cases a replication copy can be a mirror copy, for instance, where changes made to primary data 112 are mirrored or substantially immediately copied to another location (e.g., to secondary storage device(s) 108). By copying each write operation to the replication copy, two storage systems are kept synchronized or substantially synchronized so that they are virtually identical at approximately the same time. Where entire disk volumes are mirrored, however, mirroring can require significant amount of storage space and utilizes a large amount of processing resources.

According to some embodiments storage operations are performed on replicated data that represents a recoverable state, or “known good state” of a particular application running on the source system. For instance, in certain embodiments, known good replication copies may be viewed as copies of primary data 112. This feature allows the system to directly access, copy, restore, backup or otherwise manipulate the replication copies as if the data were the “live” primary data 112. This can reduce access time, storage utilization, and impact on source applications 110, among other benefits. Based on known good state information, the information management system 100 can replicate sections of application data that represent a recoverable state rather than rote copying of blocks of data. Examples of compatible replication operations (e.g., continuous data replication) are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,617,262, which is incorporated by reference herein.

Deduplication/Single-Instancing Operations

Another type of data movement operation is deduplication or single-instance storage, which is useful to reduce the amount of non-primary data. For instance, some or all of the above-described secondary storage operations can involve deduplication in some fashion. New data is read, broken down into portions (e.g., sub-file level blocks, files, etc.) of a selected granularity, compared with blocks that are already in secondary storage, and only the new blocks are stored. Blocks that already exist are represented as pointers to the already stored data.

In order to streamline the comparison process, the information management system 100 may calculate and/or store signatures (e.g., hashes or cryptographically unique IDs) corresponding to the individual data blocks in a database and compare the signatures instead of comparing entire data blocks. In some cases, only a single instance of each element is stored, and deduplication operations may therefore be referred to interchangeably as “single-instancing” operations. Depending on the implementation, however, deduplication or single-instancing operations can store more than one instance of certain data blocks, but nonetheless significantly reduce data redundancy. Depending on the embodiment, deduplication blocks can be of fixed or variable length. Using variable length blocks can provide enhanced deduplication by responding to changes in the data stream, but can involve complex processing. In some cases, the information management system 100 utilizes a technique for dynamically aligning deduplication blocks (e.g., fixed-length blocks) based on changing content in the data stream, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,364,652, which is incorporated by reference herein.

The information management system 100 can perform deduplication in a variety of manners at a variety of locations in the information management system 100. For instance, in some embodiments, the information management system 100 implements “target-side” deduplication by deduplicating data (e.g., secondary copies 116) stored in the secondary storage devices 108. In some such cases, the media agents 144 are generally configured to manage the deduplication process. For instance, one or more of the media agents 144 maintain a corresponding deduplication database that stores deduplication information (e.g., datablock signatures). Examples of such a configuration are provided in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2012/0150826, which is incorporated by reference herein. Instead of or in combination with “target-side” deduplication, deduplication can also be performed on the “source-side” (or “client-side”), e.g., to reduce the amount of traffic between the media agents 144 and the client computing device(s) 102 and/or reduce redundant data stored in the primary storage devices 104. According to various implementations, one or more of the storage devices of the target-side and/or source-side of an operation can be cloud-based storage devices. Thus, the target-side and/or source-side deduplication can be cloud-based deduplication. In particular, as discussed previously, the storage manager 140 may communicate with other components within the information management system 100 via network protocols and cloud service provider APIs to facilitate cloud-based deduplication/single instancing. Examples of such deduplication techniques are provided in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2012/0150818, which is incorporated by reference herein. Some other compatible deduplication/single instancing techniques are described in U.S. Pat. Pub. Nos. 2006/0224846 and 2009/0319534, which are incorporated by reference herein.

Information Lifecycle Management and Hierarchical Storage Management Operations

In some embodiments, files and other data over their lifetime move from more expensive, quick access storage to less expensive, slower access storage. Operations associated with moving data through various tiers of storage are sometimes referred to as information lifecycle management (ILM) operations.

One type of ILM operation is a hierarchical storage management (HSM) operation. A HSM operation is generally an operation for automatically moving data between classes of storage devices, such as between high-cost and low-cost storage devices. For instance, an HSM operation may involve movement of data from primary storage devices 104 to secondary storage devices 108, or between tiers of secondary storage devices 108. With each tier, the storage devices may be progressively relatively cheaper, have relatively slower access/restore times, etc. For example, movement of data between tiers may occur as data becomes less important over time.

In some embodiments, an HSM operation is similar to an archive operation in that creating an HSM copy may (though not always) involve deleting some of the source data, e.g., according to one or more criteria related to the source data. For example, an HSM copy may include data from primary data 112 or a secondary copy 116 that is larger than a given size threshold or older than a given age threshold and that is stored in a backup format.

Often, and unlike some types of archive copies, HSM data that is removed or aged from the source is replaced by a logical reference pointer or stub. The reference pointer or stub can be stored in the primary storage device 104 (or other source storage device, such as a secondary storage device 108) to replace the deleted source data and to point to or otherwise indicate the new location in a secondary storage device 108.

According to one example, files are generally moved between higher and lower cost storage depending on how often the files are accessed. When a user requests access to the HSM data that has been removed or migrated, the information management system 100 uses the stub to locate the data and may make recovery of the data appear transparent, even though the HSM data may be stored at a location different from other source data. In this manner, the data appears to the user (e.g., in file system browsing windows and the like) as if it still resides in the source location (e.g., in a primary storage device 104). The stub may also include some metadata associated with the corresponding data, so that a file system and/or application can provide some information about the data object and/or a limited-functionality version (e.g., a preview) of the data object.

An HSM copy may be stored in a format other than the native application format (e.g., where the data is compressed, encrypted, deduplicated, and/or otherwise modified from the original native application format). In some cases, copies which involve the removal of data from source storage and the maintenance of stub or other logical reference information on source storage may be referred to generally as “on-line archive copies”. On the other hand, copies which involve the removal of data from source storage without the maintenance of stub or other logical reference information on source storage may be referred to as “off-line archive copies”. Examples of HSM and ILM techniques are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453, which is incorporated by reference herein.

Auxiliary Copy and Disaster Recovery Operations

An auxiliary copy is generally a copy operation in which a copy is created of an existing secondary copy 116. For instance, an initial secondary copy 116 may be generated using or otherwise be derived from primary data 112 (or other data residing in the secondary storage subsystem 118), whereas an auxiliary copy is generated from the initial secondary copy 116. Auxiliary copies can be used to create additional standby copies of data and may reside on different secondary storage devices 108 than the initial secondary copies 116. Thus, auxiliary copies can be used for recovery purposes if initial secondary copies 116 become unavailable. Exemplary compatible auxiliary copy techniques are described in further detail in U.S. Pat. No. 8,230,195, which is incorporated by reference herein.

The information management system 100 may also perform disaster recovery operations that make or retain disaster recovery copies, often as secondary, high-availability disk copies. The information management system 100 may create secondary disk copies and store the copies at disaster recovery locations using auxiliary copy or replication operations, such as continuous data replication technologies. Depending on the particular data protection goals, disaster recovery locations can be remote from the client computing devices 102 and primary storage devices 104, remote from some or all of the secondary storage devices 108, or both.

Data Analysis, Reporting, and Management Operations

Data analysis, reporting, and management operations can be different than data movement operations in that they do not necessarily involve the copying, migration or other transfer of data (e.g., primary data 112 or secondary copies 116) between different locations in the system. For instance, data analysis operations may involve processing (e.g., offline processing) or modification of already stored primary data 112 and/or secondary copies 116. However, in some embodiments data analysis operations are performed in conjunction with data movement operations. Some data analysis operations include content indexing operations and classification operations which can be useful in leveraging the data under management to provide enhanced search and other features. Other data analysis operations such as compression and encryption can provide data reduction and security benefits, respectively.

Classification Operations/Content Indexing

In some embodiments, the information management system 100 analyzes and indexes characteristics, content, and metadata associated with the primary data 112 and/or secondary copies 116. The content indexing can be used to identify files or other data objects having pre-defined content (e.g., user-defined keywords or phrases, other keywords/phrases that are not defined by a user, etc.), and/or metadata (e.g., email metadata such as “to”, “from”, “cc”, “bcc”, attachment name, received time, etc.).

The information management system 100 generally organizes and catalogues the results in a content index, which may be stored within the media agent database 152, for example. The content index can also include the storage locations of (or pointer references to) the indexed data in the primary data 112 or secondary copies 116, as appropriate. The results may also be stored, in the form of a content index database or otherwise, elsewhere in the information management system 100 (e.g., in the primary storage devices 104, or in the secondary storage device 108). Such index data provides the storage manager 140 or another component with an efficient mechanism for locating primary data 112 and/or secondary copies 116 of data objects that match particular criteria.

For instance, search criteria can be specified by a user through user interface 158 of the storage manager 140. In some cases, the information management system 100 analyzes data and/or metadata in secondary copies 116 to create an “off-line” content index, without significantly impacting the performance of the client computing devices 102. Depending on the embodiment, the system can also implement “on-line” content indexing, e.g., of primary data 112. Examples of compatible content indexing techniques are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 8,170,995, which is incorporated by reference herein.

One or more components can be configured to scan data and/or associated metadata for classification purposes to populate a database (or other data structure) of information, which can be referred to as a “data classification database” or a “metabase”. Depending on the embodiment, the data classification database(s) can be organized in a variety of different ways, including centralization, logical sub-divisions, and/or physical sub-divisions. For instance, one or more centralized data classification databases may be associated with different subsystems or tiers within the information management system 100. As an example, there may be a first centralized metabase associated with the primary storage subsystem 117 and a second centralized metabase associated with the secondary storage subsystem 118. In other cases, there may be one or more metabases associated with individual components, e.g., client computing devices 102 and/or media agents 144. In some embodiments, a data classification database (metabase) may reside as one or more data structures within management database 146, or may be otherwise associated with storage manager 140.

In some cases, the metabase(s) may be included in separate database(s) and/or on separate storage device(s) from primary data 112 and/or secondary copies 116, such that operations related to the metabase do not significantly impact performance on other components in the information management system 100. In other cases, the metabase(s) may be stored along with primary data 112 and/or secondary copies 116. Files or other data objects can be associated with identifiers (e.g., tag entries, etc.) in the media agent 144 (or other indices) to facilitate searches of stored data objects. Among a number of other benefits, the metabase can also allow efficient, automatic identification of files or other data objects to associate with secondary copy or other information management operations (e.g., in lieu of scanning an entire file system). Examples of compatible metabases and data classification operations are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,229,954 and 7,747,579, which are incorporated by reference herein.

Encryption Operations

The information management system 100 in some cases is configured to process data (e.g., files or other data objects, secondary copies 116, etc.), according to an appropriate encryption algorithm (e.g., Blowfish, Advanced Encryption Standard [AES], Triple Data Encryption Standard [3-DES], etc.) to limit access and provide data security in the information management system 100. The information management system 100 in some cases encrypts the data at the client level, such that the client computing devices 102 (e.g., the data agents 142) encrypt the data prior to forwarding the data to other components, e.g., before sending the data to media agents 144 during a secondary copy operation. In such cases, the client computing device 102 may maintain or have access to an encryption key or passphrase for decrypting the data upon restore. Encryption can also occur when creating copies of secondary copies, e.g., when creating auxiliary copies or archive copies. In yet further embodiments, the secondary storage devices 108 can implement built-in, high performance hardware encryption.

Management and Reporting Operations

Certain embodiments leverage the integrated, ubiquitous nature of the information management system 100 to provide useful system-wide management and reporting functions. Examples of some compatible management and reporting techniques are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453, which is incorporated by reference herein.

Operations management can generally include monitoring and managing the health and performance of information management system 100 by, without limitation, performing error tracking, generating granular storage/performance metrics (e.g., job success/failure information, deduplication efficiency, etc.), generating storage modeling and costing information, and the like. As an example, a storage manager 140 or other component in the information management system 100 may analyze traffic patterns and suggest and/or automatically route data via a particular route to minimize congestion. In some embodiments, the system can generate predictions relating to storage operations or storage operation information. Such predictions, which may be based on a trending analysis, may predict various network operations or resource usage, such as network traffic levels, storage media use, use of bandwidth of communication links, use of media agent components, etc. Further examples of traffic analysis, trend analysis, prediction generation, and the like are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453, which is incorporated by reference herein.

In some configurations, a master storage manager 140 may track the status of storage operation cells in a hierarchy, such as the status of jobs, system components, system resources, and other items, by communicating with storage managers 140 (or other components) in the respective storage operation cells. Moreover, the master storage manager 140 may track the status of its associated storage operation cells and information management operations by receiving periodic status updates from the storage managers 140 (or other components) in the respective cells regarding jobs, system components, system resources, and other items. In some embodiments, a master storage manager 140 may store status information and other information regarding its associated storage operation cells and other system information in its index 150 (or other location).

The master storage manager 140 or other component may also determine whether certain storage-related criteria or other criteria are satisfied, and perform an action or trigger event (e.g., data migration) in response to the criteria being satisfied, such as where a storage threshold is met for a particular volume, or where inadequate protection exists for certain data. For instance, in some embodiments, data from one or more storage operation cells is used to dynamically and automatically mitigate recognized risks, and/or to advise users of risks or suggest actions to mitigate these risks. For example, an information management policy may specify certain requirements (e.g., that a storage device should maintain a certain amount of free space, that secondary copies should occur at a particular interval, that data should be aged and migrated to other storage after a particular period, that data on a secondary volume should always have a certain level of availability and be restorable within a given time period, that data on a secondary volume may be mirrored or otherwise migrated to a specified number of other volumes, etc.). If a risk condition or other criterion is triggered, the system may notify the user of these conditions and may suggest (or automatically implement) an action to mitigate or otherwise address the risk. For example, the system may indicate that data from a primary copy 112 should be migrated to a secondary storage device 108 to free space on the primary storage device 104. Examples of the use of risk factors and other triggering criteria are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453, which is incorporated by reference herein.

In some embodiments, the system 100 may also determine whether a metric or other indication satisfies particular storage criteria and, if so, perform an action. For example, as previously described, a storage policy or other definition might indicate that a storage manager 140 should initiate a particular action if a storage metric or other indication drops below or otherwise fails to satisfy specified criteria such as a threshold of data protection. Examples of such metrics are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453, which is incorporated by reference herein.

In some embodiments, risk factors may be quantified into certain measurable service or risk levels for ease of comprehension. For example, certain applications and associated data may be considered to be more important by an enterprise than other data and services. Financial compliance data, for example, may be of greater importance than marketing materials, etc. Network administrators may assign priority values or “weights” to certain data and/or applications, corresponding to the relative importance. The level of compliance of storage operations specified for these applications may also be assigned a certain value. Thus, the health, impact, and overall importance of a service may be determined, such as by measuring the compliance value and calculating the product of the priority value and the compliance value to determine the “service level” and comparing it to certain operational thresholds to determine whether it is acceptable. Further examples of the service level determination are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453, which is incorporated by reference herein.

The system 100 may additionally calculate data costing and data availability associated with information management operation cells according to an embodiment of the invention. For instance, data received from the cell may be used in conjunction with hardware-related information and other information about system elements to determine the cost of storage and/or the availability of particular data in the system. Exemplary information generated could include how fast a particular department is using up available storage space, how long data would take to recover over a particular system pathway from a particular secondary storage device, costs over time, etc. Moreover, in some embodiments, such information may be used to determine or predict the overall cost associated with the storage of certain information. The cost associated with hosting a certain application may be based, at least in part, on the type of media on which the data resides, for example. Storage devices may be assigned to a particular cost categories, for example. Further examples of costing techniques are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453, which is incorporated by reference herein.

Any of the above types of information (e.g., information related to trending, predictions, job, cell or component status, risk, service level, costing, etc.) can generally be provided to users via the user interface 158 in a single, integrated view or console (not shown). The console may support a reporting capability that allows for the generation of a variety of reports, which may be tailored to a particular aspect of information management. Report types may include: scheduling, event management, media management and data aging. Available reports may also include backup history, data aging history, auxiliary copy history, job history, library and drive, media in library, restore history, and storage policy, etc., without limitation. Such reports may be specified and created at a certain point in time as a system analysis, forecasting, or provisioning tool. Integrated reports may also be generated that illustrate storage and performance metrics, risks and storage costing information. Moreover, users may create their own reports based on specific needs.

The integrated user interface 158 can include an option to show a “virtual view” of the system that graphically depicts the various components in the system using appropriate icons. As one example, the user interface 158 may provide a graphical depiction of one or more primary storage devices 104, the secondary storage devices 108, data agents 142 and/or media agents 144, and their relationship to one another in the information management system 100. The operations management functionality can facilitate planning and decision-making. For example, in some embodiments, a user may view the status of some or all jobs as well as the status of each component of the information management system 100. Users may then plan and make decisions based on this data. For instance, a user may view high-level information regarding storage operations for the information management system 100, such as job status, component status, resource status (e.g., communication pathways, etc.), and other information. The user may also drill down or use other means to obtain more detailed information regarding a particular component, job, or the like. Further examples of some reporting techniques and associated interfaces providing an integrated view of an information management system are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453, which is incorporated by reference herein.

The information management system 100 can also be configured to perform system-wide e-discovery operations in some embodiments. In general, e-discovery operations provide a unified collection and search capability for data in the system, such as data stored in the secondary storage devices 108 (e.g., backups, archives, or other secondary copies 116). For example, the information management system 100 may construct and maintain a virtual repository for data stored in the information management system 100 that is integrated across source applications 110, different storage device types, etc. According to some embodiments, e-discovery utilizes other techniques described herein, such as data classification and/or content indexing.

Information Management Policies

As indicated previously, an information management policy 148 can include a data structure or other information source that specifies a set of parameters (e.g., criteria and rules) associated with secondary copy and/or other information management operations.

One type of information management policy 148 is a storage policy. According to certain embodiments, a storage policy generally comprises a data structure or other information source that defines (or includes information sufficient to determine) a set of preferences or other criteria for performing information management operations. Storage policies can include one or more of the following items: (1) what data will be associated with the storage policy; (2) a destination to which the data will be stored; (3) datapath information specifying how the data will be communicated to the destination; (4) the type of storage operation to be performed; and (5) retention information specifying how long the data will be retained at the destination (see, e.g., FIG. 1E).

As an illustrative example, data associated with a storage policy can be logically organized into groups. In some cases, these logical groupings can be referred to as “sub-clients”. A sub-client may represent static or dynamic associations of portions of a data volume. Sub-clients may represent mutually exclusive portions. Thus, in certain embodiments, a portion of data may be given a label and the association is stored as a static entity in an index, database or other storage location. Sub-clients may also be used as an effective administrative scheme of organizing data according to data type, department within the enterprise, storage preferences, or the like. Depending on the configuration, sub-clients can correspond to files, folders, virtual machines, databases, etc. In one exemplary scenario, an administrator may find it preferable to separate e-mail data from financial data using two different sub-clients.

A storage policy can define where data is stored by specifying a target or destination storage device (or group of storage devices). For instance, where the secondary storage device 108 includes a group of disk libraries, the storage policy may specify a particular disk library for storing the sub-clients associated with the policy. As another example, where the secondary storage devices 108 include one or more tape libraries, the storage policy may specify a particular tape library for storing the sub-clients associated with the storage policy, and may also specify a drive pool and a tape pool defining a group of tape drives and a group of tapes, respectively, for use in storing the sub-client data. While information in the storage policy can be statically assigned in some cases, some or all of the information in the storage policy can also be dynamically determined based on criteria, which can be set forth in the storage policy. For instance, based on such criteria, a particular destination storage device(s) (or other parameter of the storage policy) may be determined based on characteristics associated with the data involved in a particular storage operation, device availability (e.g., availability of a secondary storage device 108 or a media agent 144), network status and conditions (e.g., identified bottlenecks), user credentials, and the like).

Datapath information can also be included in the storage policy. For instance, the storage policy may specify network pathways and components to utilize when moving the data to the destination storage device(s). In some embodiments, the storage policy specifies one or more media agents 144 for conveying data associated with the storage policy between the source (e.g., one or more host client computing devices 102) and destination (e.g., a particular target secondary storage device 108).

A storage policy can also specify the type(s) of operations associated with the storage policy, such as a backup, archive, snapshot, auxiliary copy, or the like. Retention information can specify how long the data will be kept, depending on organizational needs (e.g., a number of days, months, years, etc.)

Another type of information management policy 148 is a scheduling policy, which specifies when and how often to perform operations. Scheduling parameters may specify with what frequency (e.g., hourly, weekly, daily, event-based, etc.) or under what triggering conditions secondary copy or other information management operations will take place. Scheduling policies in some cases are associated with particular components, such as particular logical groupings of data associated with a storage policy (e.g., a sub-client), client computing device 102, and the like. In one configuration, a separate scheduling policy is maintained for particular logical groupings of data on a client computing device 102. The scheduling policy specifies that those logical groupings are to be moved to secondary storage devices 108 every hour according to storage policies associated with the respective sub-clients.

When adding a new client computing device 102, administrators can manually configure information management policies 148 and/or other settings, e.g., via the user interface 158. However, this can be an involved process resulting in delays, and it may be desirable to begin data protection operations quickly, without awaiting human intervention. Thus, in some embodiments, the information management system 100 automatically applies a default configuration to client computing device 102. As one example, when one or more data agent(s) 142 are installed on one or more client computing devices 102, the installation script may register the client computing device 102 with the storage manager 140, which in turn applies the default configuration to the new client computing device 102. In this manner, data protection operations can begin substantially immediately. The default configuration can include a default storage policy, for example, and can specify any appropriate information sufficient to begin data protection operations. This can include a type of data protection operation, scheduling information, a target secondary storage device 108, data path information (e.g., a particular media agent 144), and the like.

Other types of information management policies 148 are possible, including one or more audit (or security) policies. An audit policy is a set of preferences, rules and/or criteria that protect sensitive data in the information management system 100. For example, an audit policy may define “sensitive objects” as files or objects that contain particular keywords (e.g., “confidential,” or “privileged”) and/or are associated with particular keywords (e.g., in metadata) or particular flags (e.g., in metadata identifying a document or email as personal, confidential, etc.). An audit policy may further specify rules for handling sensitive objects. As an example, an audit policy may require that a reviewer approve the transfer of any sensitive objects to a cloud storage site, and that if approval is denied for a particular sensitive object, the sensitive object should be transferred to a local primary storage device 104 instead. To facilitate this approval, the audit policy may further specify how a secondary storage computing device 106 or other system component should notify a reviewer that a sensitive object is slated for transfer.

Another type of information management policy 148 is a provisioning policy. A provisioning policy can include a set of preferences, priorities, rules, and/or criteria that specify how client computing devices 102 (or groups thereof) may utilize system resources, such as available storage on cloud storage and/or network bandwidth. A provisioning policy specifies, for example, data quotas for particular client computing devices 102 (e.g., a number of gigabytes that can be stored monthly, quarterly or annually). The storage manager 140 or other components may enforce the provisioning policy. For instance, the media agents 144 may enforce the policy when transferring data to secondary storage devices 108. If a client computing device 102 exceeds a quota, a budget for the client computing device 102 (or associated department) is adjusted accordingly or an alert may trigger.

While the above types of information management policies 148 have been described as separate policies, one or more of these can be generally combined into a single information management policy 148. For instance, a storage policy may also include or otherwise be associated with one or more scheduling, audit, or provisioning policies or operational parameters thereof. Moreover, while storage policies are typically associated with moving and storing data, other policies may be associated with other types of information management operations. The following is a non-exhaustive list of items the information management policies 148 may specify:

-   -   schedules or other timing information, e.g., specifying when         and/or how often to perform information management operations;     -   the type of copy 116 (e.g., type of secondary copy) and/or copy         format (e.g., snapshot, backup, archive, HSM, etc.);     -   a location or a class or quality of storage for storing         secondary copies 116 (e.g., one or more particular secondary         storage devices 108);     -   preferences regarding whether and how to encrypt, compress,         deduplicate, or otherwise modify or transform secondary copies         116;     -   which system components and/or network pathways (e.g., preferred         media agents 144) should be used to perform secondary storage         operations;     -   resource allocation among different computing devices or other         system components used in performing information management         operations (e.g., bandwidth allocation, available storage         capacity, etc.);     -   whether and how to synchronize or otherwise distribute files or         other data objects across multiple computing devices or hosted         services; and     -   retention information specifying the length of time primary data         112 and/or secondary copies 116 should be retained, e.g., in a         particular class or tier of storage devices, or within the         information management system 100.

Policies can additionally specify or depend on a variety of historical or current criteria that may be used to determine which rules to apply to a particular data object, system component, or information management operation, such as:

-   -   frequency with which primary data 112 or a secondary copy 116 of         a data object or metadata has been or is predicted to be used,         accessed, or modified;     -   time-related factors (e.g., aging information such as time since         the creation or modification of a data object);     -   deduplication information (e.g., hashes, data blocks,         deduplication block size, deduplication efficiency or other         metrics);     -   an estimated or historic usage or cost associated with different         components (e.g., with secondary storage devices 108);     -   the identity of users, applications 110, client computing         devices 102 and/or other computing devices that created,         accessed, modified, or otherwise utilized primary data 112 or         secondary copies 116;     -   a relative sensitivity (e.g., confidentiality, importance) of a         data object, e.g., as determined by its content and/or metadata;     -   the current or historical storage capacity of various storage         devices;     -   the current or historical network capacity of network pathways         connecting various components within the storage operation cell;     -   access control lists or other security information; and     -   the content of a particular data object (e.g., its textual         content) or of metadata associated with the data object.         Exemplary Storage Policy and Secondary Storage Operations

FIG. 1E includes a data flow diagram depicting performance of storage operations by an embodiment of an information management system 100, according to an exemplary storage policy 148A. The information management system 100 includes a storage manger 140, a client computing device 102 having a file system data agent 142A and an email data agent 142B operating thereon, a primary storage device 104, two media agents 144A, 144B, and two secondary storage devices 108A, 108B: a disk library 108A and a tape library 108B. As shown, the primary storage device 104 includes primary data 112A, which is associated with a logical grouping of data associated with a file system, and primary data 112B, which is associated with a logical grouping of data associated with email. Although for simplicity the logical grouping of data associated with the file system is referred to as a file system sub-client, and the logical grouping of data associated with the email is referred to as an email sub-client, the techniques described with respect to FIG. 1E can be utilized in conjunction with data that is organized in a variety of other manners.

As indicated by the dashed box, the second media agent 144B and the tape library 108B are “off-site”, and may therefore be remotely located from the other components in the information management system 100 (e.g., in a different city, office building, etc.). Indeed, “off-site” may refer to a magnetic tape located in storage, which must be manually retrieved and loaded into a tape drive to be read. In this manner, information stored on the tape library 108B may provide protection in the event of a disaster or other failure.

The file system sub-client and its associated primary data 112A in certain embodiments generally comprise information generated by the file system and/or operating system of the client computing device 102, and can include, for example, file system data (e.g., regular files, file tables, mount points, etc.), operating system data (e.g., registries, event logs, etc.), and the like. The e-mail sub-client, on the other hand, and its associated primary data 112B, include data generated by an e-mail application operating on the client computing device 102, and can include mailbox information, folder information, emails, attachments, associated database information, and the like. As described above, the sub-clients can be logical containers, and the data included in the corresponding primary data 112A, 112B may or may not be stored contiguously.

The exemplary storage policy 148A includes backup copy preferences (or rule set) 160, disaster recovery copy preferences rule set 162, and compliance copy preferences or rule set 164. The backup copy rule set 160 specifies that it is associated with a file system sub-client 166 and an email sub-client 168. Each of these sub-clients 166, 168 are associated with the particular client computing device 102. The backup copy rule set 160 further specifies that the backup operation will be written to the disk library 108A, and designates a particular media agent 144A to convey the data to the disk library 108A. Finally, the backup copy rule set 160 specifies that backup copies created according to the rule set 160 are scheduled to be generated on an hourly basis and to be retained for 30 days. In some other embodiments, scheduling information is not included in the storage policy 148A, and is instead specified by a separate scheduling policy.

The disaster recovery copy rule set 162 is associated with the same two sub-clients 166, 168. However, the disaster recovery copy rule set 162 is associated with the tape library 108B, unlike the backup copy rule set 160. Moreover, the disaster recovery copy rule set 162 specifies that a different media agent, namely 144B, will be used to convey the data to the tape library 108B. As indicated, disaster recovery copies created according to the rule set 162 will be retained for 60 days, and will be generated on a daily basis. Disaster recovery copies generated according to the disaster recovery copy rule set 162 can provide protection in the event of a disaster or other catastrophic data loss that would affect the backup copy 116A maintained on the disk library 108A.

The compliance copy rule set 164 is only associated with the email sub-client 168, and not the file system sub-client 166. Compliance copies generated according to the compliance copy rule set 164 will therefore not include primary data 112A from the file system sub-client 166. For instance, the organization may be under an obligation to store and maintain copies of email data for a particular period of time (e.g., 10 years) to comply with state or federal regulations, while similar regulations do not apply to the file system data. The compliance copy rule set 164 is associated with the same tape library 108B and media agent 144B as the disaster recovery copy rule set 162, although a different storage device or media agent could be used in other embodiments. Finally, the compliance copy rule set 164 specifies that copies generated under the compliance copy rule set 164 will be retained for 10 years, and will be generated on a quarterly basis.

At step 1, the storage manager 140 initiates a backup operation according to the backup copy rule set 160. For instance, a scheduling service running on the storage manager 140 accesses scheduling information from the backup copy rule set 160 or a separate scheduling policy associated with the client computing device 102, and initiates a backup copy operation on an hourly basis. Thus, at the scheduled time slot the storage manager 140 sends instructions to the client computing device 102 (i.e., to both data agent 142A and data agent 142B) to begin the backup operation.

At step 2, the file system data agent 142A and the email data agent 142B operating on the client computing device 102 respond to the instructions received from the storage manager 140 by accessing and processing the primary data 112A, 112B involved in the copy operation, which can be found in primary storage device 104. Because the operation is a backup copy operation, the data agent(s) 142A, 142B may format the data into a backup format or otherwise process the data.

At step 3, the client computing device 102 communicates the retrieved, processed data to the first media agent 144A, as directed by the storage manager 140, according to the backup copy rule set 160. In some other embodiments, the information management system 100 may implement a load-balancing, availability-based, or other appropriate algorithm to select from the available set of media agents 144A, 144B. Regardless of the manner the media agent 144A is selected, the storage manager 140 may further keep a record in the storage manager database 146 of the association between the selected media agent 144A and the client computing device 102 and/or between the selected media agent 144A and the backup copy 116A.

The target media agent 144A receives the data from the client computing device 102, and at step 4 conveys the data to the disk library 108A to create the backup copy 116A, again at the direction of the storage manager 140 and according to the backup copy rule set 160. The secondary storage device 108A can be selected in other ways. For instance, the media agent 144A may have a dedicated association with a particular secondary storage device(s), or the storage manager 140 or media agent 144A may select from a plurality of secondary storage devices, e.g., according to availability, using one of the techniques described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,246,207, which is incorporated by reference herein.

The media agent 144A can also update its index 153 to include data and/or metadata related to the backup copy 116A, such as information indicating where the backup copy 116A resides on the disk library 108A, data and metadata for cache retrieval, etc. The storage manager 140 may similarly update its index 150 to include information relating to the storage operation, such as information relating to the type of storage operation, a physical location associated with one or more copies created by the storage operation, the time the storage operation was performed, status information relating to the storage operation, the components involved in the storage operation, and the like. In some cases, the storage manager 140 may update its index 150 to include some or all of the information stored in the index 153 of the media agent 144A. After the 30 day retention period expires, the storage manager 140 instructs the media agent 144A to delete the backup copy 116A from the disk library 108A. Indexes 150 and/or 153 are updated accordingly.

At step 5, the storage manager 140 initiates the creation of a disaster recovery copy 116B according to the disaster recovery copy rule set 162.

At step 6, illustratively based on the instructions received from the storage manager 140 at step 5, the specified media agent 144B retrieves the most recent backup copy 116A from the disk library 108A.

At step 7, again at the direction of the storage manager 140 and as specified in the disaster recovery copy rule set 162, the media agent 144B uses the retrieved data to create a disaster recovery copy 116B on the tape library 108B. In some cases, the disaster recovery copy 116B is a direct, mirror copy of the backup copy 116A, and remains in the backup format. In other embodiments, the disaster recovery copy 116B may be generated in some other manner, such as by using the primary data 112A, 112B from the primary storage device 104 as source data. The disaster recovery copy operation is initiated once a day and the disaster recovery copies 116B are deleted after 60 days; indexes are updated accordingly when/after each information management operation is executed/completed.

At step 8, the storage manager 140 initiates the creation of a compliance copy 116C, according to the compliance copy rule set 164. For instance, the storage manager 140 instructs the media agent 144B to create the compliance copy 116C on the tape library 108B at step 9, as specified in the compliance copy rule set 164. In the example, the compliance copy 116C is generated using the disaster recovery copy 116B. In other embodiments, the compliance copy 116C is instead generated using either the primary data 112B corresponding to the email sub-client or using the backup copy 116A from the disk library 108A as source data. As specified, in the illustrated example, compliance copies 116C are created quarterly, and are deleted after ten years, and indexes are kept up-to-date accordingly.

While not shown in FIG. 1E, at some later point in time, a restore operation can be initiated involving one or more of the secondary copies 116A, 116B, 116C. As one example, a user may manually initiate a restore of the backup copy 116A by interacting with the user interface 158 of the storage manager 140. The storage manager 140 then accesses data in its index 150 (and/or the respective storage policy 148A) associated with the selected backup copy 116A to identify the appropriate media agent 144A and/or secondary storage device 108A.

In other cases, a media agent may be selected for use in the restore operation based on a load balancing algorithm, an availability based algorithm, or other criteria. The selected media agent 144A retrieves the data from the disk library 108A. For instance, the media agent 144A may access its index 153 to identify a location of the backup copy 116A on the disk library 108A, or may access location information residing on the disk 108A itself.

When the backup copy 116A was recently created or accessed, the media agent 144A accesses a cached version of the backup copy 116A residing in the index 153, without having to access the disk library 108A for some or all of the data. Once it has retrieved the backup copy 116A, the media agent 144A communicates the data to the source client computing device 102. Upon receipt, the file system data agent 142A and the email data agent 142B may unpackage (e.g., restore from a backup format to the native application format) the data in the backup copy 116A and restore the unpackaged data to the primary storage device 104.

Exemplary Applications of Storage Policies

The storage manager 140 may permit a user to specify aspects of the storage policy 148A. For example, the storage policy can be modified to include information governance policies to define how data should be managed in order to comply with a certain regulation or business objective. The various policies may be stored, for example, in the management database 146. An information governance policy may comprise a classification policy, which is described herein. An information governance policy may align with one or more compliance tasks that are imposed by regulations or business requirements. Examples of information governance policies might include a Sarbanes-Oxley policy, a HIPAA policy, an electronic discovery (E-Discovery) policy, and so on.

Information governance policies allow administrators to obtain different perspectives on all of an organization's online and offline data, without the need for a dedicated data silo created solely for each different viewpoint. As described previously, the data storage systems herein build a centralized index that reflects the contents of a distributed data set that spans numerous clients and storage devices, including both primary and secondary copies, and online and offline copies. An organization may apply multiple information governance policies in a top-down manner over that unified data set and indexing schema in order to permit an organization to view and manipulate the single data set through different lenses, each of which is adapted to a particular compliance or business goal. Thus, for example, by applying an E-discovery policy and a Sarbanes-Oxley policy, two different groups of users in an organization can conduct two very different analyses of the same underlying physical set of data copies, which may be distributed throughout the organization and information management system.

A classification policy defines a taxonomy of classification terms or tags relevant to a compliance task and/or business objective. A classification policy may also associate a defined tag with a classification rule. A classification rule defines a particular combination of criteria, such as users who have created, accessed or modified a document or data object; file or application types; content or metadata keywords; clients or storage locations; dates of data creation and/or access; review status or other status within a workflow (e.g., reviewed or un-reviewed); modification times or types of modifications; and/or any other data attributes in any combination, without limitation. A classification rule may also be defined using other classification tags in the taxonomy. The various criteria used to define a classification rule may be combined in any suitable fashion, for example, via Boolean operators, to define a complex classification rule. As an example, an E-discovery classification policy might define a classification tag “privileged” that is associated with documents or data objects that (1) were created or modified by legal department staff, or (2) were sent to or received from outside counsel via email, or (3) contain one of the following keywords: “privileged” or “attorney” or “counsel”, or other like terms.

One specific type of classification tag, which may be added to an index at the time of indexing, is an entity tag. An entity tag may be, for example, any content that matches a defined data mask format. Examples of entity tags might include, e.g., social security numbers (e.g., any numerical content matching the formatting mask XXX-XX-XXXX), credit card numbers (e.g., content having a 13-16 digit string of numbers), SKU numbers, product numbers, etc.

A user may define a classification policy by indicating criteria, parameters or descriptors of the policy via a graphical user interface, such as a form or page with fields to be filled in, pull-down menus or entries allowing one or more of several options to be selected, buttons, sliders, hypertext links or other known user interface tools for receiving user input, etc. For example, a user may define certain entity tags, such as a particular product number or project ID code that is relevant in the organization. In some implementations, the classification policy can be implemented using cloud-based techniques. For example, the storage devices may be cloud storage devices, and the storage manager 140 may execute cloud service provider API over a network to classify data stored on cloud storage devices.

Exemplary Secondary Copy Formatting

The formatting and structure of secondary copies 116 can vary, depending on the embodiment. In some cases, secondary copies 116 are formatted as a series of logical data units or “chunks” (e.g., 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, or 8 GB chunks). This can facilitate efficient communication and writing to secondary storage devices 108, e.g., according to resource availability. For example, a single secondary copy 116 may be written on a chunk-by-chunk basis to a single secondary storage device 108 or across multiple secondary storage devices 108. In some cases, users can select different chunk sizes, e.g., to improve throughput to tape storage devices.

Generally, each chunk can include a header and a payload. The payload can include files (or other data units) or subsets thereof included in the chunk, whereas the chunk header generally includes metadata relating to the chunk, some or all of which may be derived from the payload. For example, during a secondary copy operation, the media agent 144, storage manager 140, or other component may divide the associated files into chunks and generate headers for each chunk by processing the constituent files. The headers can include a variety of information such as file identifier(s), volume(s), offset(s), or other information associated with the payload data items, a chunk sequence number, etc. Importantly, in addition to being stored with the secondary copy 116 on the secondary storage device 108, the chunk headers can also be stored to the index 153 of the associated media agent(s) 144 and/or the index 150. This is useful in some cases for providing faster processing of secondary copies 116 during restores or other operations. In some cases, once a chunk is successfully transferred to a secondary storage device 108, the secondary storage device 108 returns an indication of receipt, e.g., to the media agent 144 and/or storage manager 140, which may update their respective indexes 153, 150 accordingly. During restore, chunks may be processed (e.g., by the media agent 144) according to the information in the chunk header to reassemble the files.

Data can also be communicated within the information management system 100 in data channels that connect the client computing devices 102 to the secondary storage devices 108. These data channels can be referred to as “data streams”, and multiple data streams can be employed to parallelize an information management operation, improving data transfer rate, among providing other advantages. Example data formatting techniques including techniques involving data streaming, chunking, and the use of other data structures in creating copies (e.g., secondary copies) are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,315,923 and 8,156,086, and 8,578,120, each of which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIGS. 1F and 1G are diagrams of example data streams 170 and 171, respectively, which may be employed for performing data storage operations. Referring to FIG. 1F, the data agent 142 forms the data stream 170 from the data associated with a client computing device 102 (e.g., primary data 112). The data stream 170 is composed of multiple pairs of stream header 172 and stream data (or stream payload) 174. The data streams 170 and 171 shown in the illustrated example are for a single-instanced storage operation, and a stream payload 174 therefore may include both single-instance (“SI”) data and/or non-SI data. A stream header 172 includes metadata about the stream payload 174. This metadata may include, for example, a length of the stream payload 174, an indication of whether the stream payload 174 is encrypted, an indication of whether the stream payload 174 is compressed, an archive file identifier (ID), an indication of whether the stream payload 174 is single instanceable, and an indication of whether the stream payload 174 is a start of a block of data.

Referring to FIG. 1G, the data stream 171 has the stream header 172 and stream payload 174 aligned into multiple data blocks. In this example, the data blocks are of size 64 KB. The first two stream header 172 and stream payload 174 pairs comprise a first data block of size 64 KB. The first stream header 172 indicates that the length of the succeeding stream payload 174 is 63 KB and that it is the start of a data block. The next stream header 172 indicates that the succeeding stream payload 174 has a length of 1 KB and that it is not the start of a new data block. Immediately following stream payload 174 is a pair comprising an identifier header 176 and identifier data 178. The identifier header 176 includes an indication that the succeeding identifier data 178 includes the identifier for the immediately previous data block. The identifier data 178 includes the identifier that the data agent 142 generated for the data block. The data stream 171 also includes other stream header 172 and stream payload 174 pairs, which may be for SI data and/or for non-SI data.

FIG. 1H is a diagram illustrating the data structures 180 that may be used to store blocks of SI data and non-SI data on the storage device (e.g., secondary storage device 108). According to certain embodiments, the data structures 180 do not form part of a native file system of the storage device. The data structures 180 include one or more volume folders 182, one or more chunk folders 184/185 within the volume folder 182, and multiple files within the chunk folder 184. Each chunk folder 1841185 includes a metadata file 186/187, a metadata index file 188/189, one or more container files 190/191/193, and a container index file 192/194. The metadata file 186/187 stores non-SI data blocks as well as links to SI data blocks stored in container files. The metadata index file 188/189 stores an index to the data in the metadata file 186/187. The container files 190/191/193 store SI data blocks. The container index file 192/194 stores an index to the container files 190/191/193. Among other things, the container index file 192/194 stores an indication of whether a corresponding block in a container file 190/191/193 is referred to by a link in a metadata file 186/187. For example, data block B2 in the container file 190 is referred to by a link in the metadata file 187 in the chunk folder 185. Accordingly, the corresponding index entry in the container index file 192 indicates that the data block B2 in the container file 190 is referred to. As another example, data block B1 in the container file 191 is referred to by a link in the metadata file 187, and so the corresponding index entry in the container index file 192 indicates that this data block is referred to.

As an example, the data structures 180 illustrated in FIG. 1H may have been created as a result of two storage operations involving two client computing devices 102. For example, a first storage operation on a first client computing device 102 could result in the creation of the first chunk folder 184, and a second storage operation on a second client computing device 102 could result in the creation of the second chunk folder 185. The container files 190/191 in the first chunk folder 184 would contain the blocks of SI data of the first client computing device 102. If the two client computing devices 102 have substantially similar data, the second storage operation on the data of the second client computing device 102 would result in the media agent 144 storing primarily links to the data blocks of the first client computing device 102 that are already stored in the container files 190/191. Accordingly, while a first storage operation may result in storing nearly all of the data subject to the storage operation, subsequent storage operations involving similar data may result in substantial data storage space savings, because links to already stored data blocks can be stored instead of additional instances of data blocks.

If the operating system of the secondary storage computing device 106 on which the media agent 144 operates supports sparse files, then when the media agent 144 creates container files 190/1910/193, it can create them as sparse files. A sparse file is type of file that may include empty space (e.g., a sparse file may have real data within it, such as at the beginning of the file and/or at the end of the file, but may also have empty space in it that is not storing actual data, such as a contiguous range of bytes all having a value of zero). Having the container files 190/191/193 be sparse files allows the media agent 144 to free up space in the container files 190/191/193 when blocks of data in the container files 190/191/193 no longer need to be stored on the storage devices. In some examples, the media agent 144 creates a new container file 190/191/193 when a container file 190/191/193 either includes 100 blocks of data or when the size of the container file 190 exceeds 50 MB. In other examples, the media agent 144 creates a new container file 190/191/193 when a container file 190/191/193 satisfies other criteria (e.g., it contains from approximately 100 to approximately 1000 blocks or when its size exceeds approximately 50 MB to 1 GB).

In some cases, a file on which a storage operation is performed may comprise a large number of data blocks. For example, a 100 MB file may comprise 400 data blocks of size 256 KB. If such a file is to be stored, its data blocks may span more than one container file, or even more than one chunk folder. As another example, a database file of 20 GB may comprise over 40,000 data blocks of size 512 KB. If such a database file is to be stored, its data blocks will likely span multiple container files, multiple chunk folders, and potentially multiple volume folders. Restoring such files may require accessing multiple container files, chunk folders, and/or volume folders to obtain the requisite data blocks.

Improving the Assignment of Data Agent Proxies for Executing Virtual-Machine Secondary Copy Operations Including Streaming Backup Jobs

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating some salient portions of a system 200 for improving the assignment of data agent proxies in VM secondary copy operations including streaming backup jobs according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. System 200 is a storage management system, which may be an embodiment of an information management system, and which illustratively comprises: secondary storage subsystem 118, comprising secondary storage computing devices 106 executing respective media agents 144, and secondary storage devices 108 (e.g., disk, tape, etc.); virtual machine cluster 202; primary storage device 204-1; storage manager 240; and host computing device 252, hosting virtual server data agent 242-2. An illustrative data flow for a virtual-machine secondary copy operation is collectively depicted by the bold dotted arrows 221, 222, and 223. The components may be logically interconnected as shown by the solid arrows. The physical communications infrastructure required to support these logical connections is well known in the art and may be any suitable electronic communications infrastructure, such as that described in regard to communication pathways 114 above.

Secondary storage subsystem 118 is described in more detail elsewhere herein. According to the illustrative embodiment, secondary subsystem 118 in system 200 may comprise secondary storage computing devices 106, each of which executes at least one respective media agent 144, and also may comprise secondary storage devices 108 (e.g., disk, tape, etc.). According to the illustrative embodiment, the secondary storage devices 108 are all accessible by every one of the secondary storage computing device 106, though the invention is not so limited. Secondary storage devices 108 store secondary copies 116 (not shown in the present figure) of the VM data stores being backed up.

Virtual machine cluster 202 comprises a number of VMs and is described in more detail in a subsequent figure.

Primary storage device 204-1 is a data storage device analogous to storage device 104 described in an earlier figure, e.g., a disk, a storage array, etc., and additionally comprises the data store(s) (e.g., primary data 112) of one or more VMs operating in VM cluster 202. As a result, primary storage device 204-1 is a data source for secondary copy operations in system 200, such as streaming backup jobs for one or more VMs whose data stores are stored in storage device 204-1.

The bold dotted unidirectional arrows 221, 222, and 223, collectively depict a logical data flow for a secondary copy operation originating with a VM data store (e.g., 112 not shown in the present figure) on primary storage device 204-1 and terminating to a secondary storage device 108 (e.g., tape media) which stores secondary copies of the source (e.g., secondary copies 116 not shown in the present figure). Secondary copy operations are discussed in more detail elsewhere herein. Illustratively, data flow segment 221 originates at the primary storage device 204-1 and terminates at the data agent handling this part of the secondary copy operation (e.g., at VSDA 242-2); data flow segment 222 originates at the data agent (e.g., VSDA 242-2) and terminates at the media agent 144 which is handling this part of the secondary copy operation; data flow segment 223 originates at the media agent 144 and terminates at the secondary storage device 108 (e.g., tape) that stores the resulting secondary copy (e.g., a full backup copy, an incremental backup copy, etc.).

Data flow segment 221 may comprise more than one data stream. For example, data flow segment 221 may occur in the form of three concurrent data streams that transport data from the source data store to VSDA 242-2 using network resources. As explained elsewhere, using more than one data stream makes it possible to increase the effective bandwidth of the secondary copy operation and thus enables faster backups. The number of data streams that may be in use concurrently at a proxy such as host 252 may be an important consideration in how a particular secondary copy operation occurs within a given backup job, as explained in further detail in another figure.

Storage manager 240 is analogous to storage manager 140 described in more detail elsewhere herein, and further comprises additional functionality for operating in system 200, e.g., designating a certain data agent as coordinator in a backup job; designating other data agents as controllers in the backup job; tracking the coordinator/controller roles of the respective data agents, e.g., virtual server data agents 242; tracking data streams relative to virtual machine backup jobs, e.g., the maximum number of data streams allowed for the backup job; tracking network topology/connectivity information, including information about mode of access from a given data agent to a VM data store; tracking operational properties of proxies in system 200; tracking operational properties of virtual machines in system 200, etc., without limitation. The information tracked by storage manager 240 may be stored in a management database, e.g., management database 146 not shown in the present figure, which is part of and/or associated with storage manager 240.

Virtual server data agent 242 (or “VSDA 242”) (e.g., 242-1, 242-2, 242-3) is a data agent, analogous to data agent 142, that is specially designed and configured to operate vis-á-vis one or more virtual machines. VSDA 242 handles secondary copy operations for virtual machines, e.g., extracting primary data from the VM's data store, reading and interpreting metadata, formatting the payload and metadata and transmitting to media agent 144, and communicating with storage manager 240 for instructions and status reporting, etc. VSDA 242 may be referred to herein as a “virtual server agent,” although it should be noted that the subject virtual machine need not run on a designated “server” computing device. In other words, a virtual server data agent is a data agent that is specialized for taking part in secondary copy operations relating to virtual machine(s), whether the targeted virtual machine executes on a dedicated VM server or on another computing device, such as a client computing device 102 that also performs other functions besides executing VMs. Depending on the implementation, VSDA 242 may be specialized for a particular manufacturer's VM server, or may be designed to work with a variety of VM servers and/or VM types. The present invention is not limited as to the type of VM that a VSDA 242 may protect.

Host computing device 252 (or “host 252”) is a computing device that is analogous to client computing device 102 described elsewhere herein, and also comprises additional functionality for operating in system 200, e.g., executing VSDA 242-2, communicating with a primary storage device 204-1 that comprises VM data store(s), etc. Host 252 may execute any number of data agents, including one or more VSDAs 242. Host 252 is considered a proxy for VM secondary copy operations as explained in more detail elsewhere herein, e.g., executing certain operations in method 300.

System 200 is not limited to the number, interconnectivity, types, and/or ratios of components shown in the present figure. For example, system 200 may further comprise other VM clusters 202, any number of VMs, additional host computing devices 252, any number of primary storage devices 204, and more or fewer secondary storage devices 108. Likewise, the composition of an element such as VM cluster 202 may vary from what is shown herein. Likewise, the interconnectivity among components shown in the present figure and in other figures herein is illustrative so that a variety of access modes may be discussed in detail, but not all depicted interconnectivity and access modes are required for every embodiment of the present invention. For example, Fibre Channel-Storage Area Network (“FC SAN”) access from VSDA 242-2 to primary storage device 204-1 (see, e.g., FIG. 2B) need not be implemented in every embodiment of the present invention; conversely, in some embodiments, FC SAN may be the only access mode configured for accessing virtual machine data stores. More details are given in subsequent figures. Moreover, although the depicted system 200 depicts virtual machines as the only sources of primary data, other sources of primary data may be configured in system 200 and/or in other embodiments, such as client computing devices 102 executing applications/file systems 110 and corresponding data agents 142 as shown in other figures herein.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating some salient details of system 200, including a virtual machine cluster 202 and its constituent components. VM cluster 202 is a logical grouping of virtual machine-related resources, which may comprise: VM server 203-1, which comprises primary storage device 204-2 and executes virtual machines VM-A, VM-B, . . . , and VM-N; VM server 203-2, which executes virtual machines VM-P, VM-Q, VM-R, . . . , and VM-X; primary storage device 204-3; and primary storage device 204-4. The components inside VM cluster 202 may be logically interconnected as shown by the solid arrows. The physical communications infrastructure required to support these logical connections is well known in the art and may be any suitable electronic communications infrastructure, such as that described in regard to communication pathways 114 above. Primary storage device 204-1 is shown outside VM cluster 202, and is logically interconnected to VM-R and host 252 by Fibre Channel Storage Area Network (“FC SAN”) connections 205 and 206, respectively. Components 204-1, 240, 242, and 252 are described in more detail in another figure.

VM servers 203 (e.g., 203-1, 203-2) are computing devices that are illustratively dedicated servers that act as a platform for VMs, such as providing VMs to any user of system 200. For example, a VM server 203 may execute a VMware vSphere® suite from VMware, Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., USA, to provide a virtualization platform for any number of users in the corporate network, though the present invention is not limited to the VMware platform or to any particular type of VM or VM server. Moreover, VM server 203 need not be dedicated as a VM resource, and may also provide other data processing services. VM server 203 is well known in the art and may provide any number of VMs within system 200.

Primary storage device 204-1, which was described in more detail in a preceding figure, is illustratively connected to VM-R via FC SAN communication pathway 205, and is likewise connected to host 252 via FC SAN communication pathway 206. These Fibre Channel interconnections enable host 252 (e.g., executing VSDA 242-2) to have direct access from host 252 to VM-R's data store in primary storage device 204-1. Accordingly, in a secondary copy operation for VM-R handled by VSDA 242-2, VSDA 242-2 may access VM-R's data store on storage device 204-1 directly via the storage area network comprising pathway 206, without having to communicate to/from VM server 203-2, which hosts VM-R. This mode of access, via FC SAN, is the preferred mode of access to a VM data store according to the illustrative embodiment, because it does not tap any processing/communications resources on the VM's host server (e.g., 203-2) and thus causes less impact to the production environment. Tiers of preference for access modes to VM data stores are discussed in more detail in a later figure (see, e.g., block 608 in FIG. 6).

Primary storage device 204-2, which is illustratively a component of VM server 203-1, is analogous to primary storage device 104 and additionally comprises the data store(s) (e.g., primary data 112) of one or more VMs executing on VM server 203-1, such as VM-A.

Primary storage devices 204-3 and 204-4 are illustrative components of VM cluster 202 and each is interconnected to both VM server 203-1 and VM server 203-2. Primary storage devices 204-3 and 204-4 are primary storage devices analogous to primary storage device 104 and additionally comprise the respective data store(s) (e.g., primary data 112) of one or more VMs in cluster 202, such as VM-B, VM-N, VM-P, etc.

FIG. 2C is a block diagram illustrating some salient details of system 200, including virtual-server data agent proxies 1-3, a coordinator data agent 242-1, and controller data agents 242-2 and 242-3. As depicted in the present figure: VM-N, which is designated virtual-server data agent proxy 1 (or “proxy 1”), executes virtual-server data agent 242-1, which operates as a coordinator data agent, comprises priority list 243, and executes inter-process communications module 245; host computing device 252, which is designated VSDA proxy 2 (or “proxy 2”), executes VSDA 242-2, which operates as a controller data agent; and VM-X, which is designated VSDA proxy 3 (or “proxy 3”), executes VSDA 242-3, which operates as a controller data agent. Coordinator data agent 242-1 communicates with controller data agent 242-2 and with controller data agent 242-3 using logical communication pathways 274 and inter-process communications module 245. All VSDAs 242 are also in communication with storage manager 240 as components of storage management system 200 according to techniques well known in the art.

In the context of the present disclosure, a proxy is a platform that executes a data agent, such as a virtual server data agent 242 which may be involved in performing secondary copy operations for a virtual machine. The platform may itself be a virtual machine that is capable of executing a data agent for backing up other virtual machines. Proxy 1 is such a proxy, i.e., virtual machine VM-N, which executes on VM server 203-1 and executes coordinator data agent 242-1 for backing up other virtual machines, such as VM-A, VM-B, VM-P, etc. Likewise, proxy 3 is another virtual machine, VM-X, which executes on VM server 203-2, and which executes controller data agent 242-3 for backing up other virtual machines, such as VM-A, VM-B, and VM-P, etc. A virtual machine-based proxy such as VM-N and VM-X may execute any number and/or types of data agents, not just virtual server data agents 242.

Alternatively, the proxy may be a computing device that directly executes a data agent such as a virtual server data agent 242 which may be involved in performing secondary copy operations for a virtual machine. Proxy 2 is such a proxy, i.e., host 252, which executes virtual server data agent 242-2 for backing up virtual machines such as VM-A, VM-B, VM-Q, VM-R, etc. A proxy such as host 252 may execute any number and/or types of data agents, not just virtual server data agents 242. In sum, a proxy may represent one of: (a) a first virtual machine that executes on a first computing device, wherein the first virtual machine executes a virtual-server data agent for virtual-machine backup, and (b) a second computing device that executes a virtual-server data agent for virtual-machine backup.

Virtual server data agent (“VSDA”) 242-1 illustratively acts in a coordinator role for a particular backup job, based on receiving the coordinator designation from storage manager 240, for example when the backup job begins. Therefore, this data agent may be referred to herein as the “coordinator data agent” or “coordinator.” As shall be seen later, the coordinator data agent comprises enhanced functionality that improves the way in which proxies are assigned for executing a VM backup job. More details on this enhanced functionality are given in subsequent figures. The coordinator data agent may or may not actually participate in a secondary copy operation during the backup job, but the coordinator data agent comprises the functionality for doing so if need be. In other words, the proxy that executes the coordinator data agent may also perform one or more secondary copy operations in the backup job.

Virtual server data agents (“VSDA”) 242-2 and 242-3 illustratively act in a controller role for a particular backup job, based on receiving the controller designation from storage manager 240 and/or from coordinator data agent 242-1, for example when the backup job begins, after the coordinator role has been assigned to another data agent. Therefore, this data agent may be referred to herein as the “controller data agent” or “controller.” As shall be seen later, the controller data agent comprises enhanced functionality that improves the way in which proxies are assigned for executing a VM backup job. More details on this enhanced functionality are given in subsequent figures. The controller data agent may or may not actually participate in a secondary copy operation during the backup job, but the controller data agent comprises the functionality for doing so if need be. In other words, a proxy that executes the controller data agent may also perform one or more secondary copy operations in the backup job.

Priority list 243 is generated, maintained, and used by the proxy that executes the coordinator data agent, illustratively by proxy 1, which is embodied as VM-N executing data agent 242-1. Priority list 243 is a data structure that comprises a list of virtual machines awaiting backup in a given backup job and also lists one or more proxies associated with each VM, which proxy(ies) have been determined to be eligible to back up the respective VM. The ordering of the VMs in the priority list is based on a number of considerations, including the number of eligible proxies and the storage size of the VM's data store, as described in more detail in regard to FIG. 5. Proxy eligibility is discussed in further detail in regard to FIG. 6. Table 1 below shows an illustrative representation of a first-round priority list 243 at the beginning of a backup job for VMs A, B, P, Q, and R:

TABLE 1 Illustrative Priority List 243 Eligible Proxies VM With Highest-Tier Mode Of Access Storage-Size Metric VM-R 2 9 MB VM-B 1 5 MB VM-P 3 4 MB VM-Q 3 2 MB VM-A 1 1 MB

Priority list 243 is not limited to the illustrative form of Table 1, and a person having ordinary skill in the art may, after reading the present disclosure, devise additional formats and/or organizational schemes for the information required by coordinator data agent 242-1 to perform the improved techniques of the present invention. For example, priority list 243 may be embodied as several different lists (e.g., relational tables); may comprise additional information, such as operational properties of each listed VM and/or proxy; etc., without limitation.

Inter-process communications module 245 is a functional component of proxy 1, and may be implemented as executable software and/or firmware, which executes on the underlying computing device that hosts proxy 1, e.g., VM server 203-1. When it executes according to the illustrative embodiment, module 245 is largely responsible for establishing and maintaining communications between coordinator data agent 242-1 and any number of controller data agents in system 200, such as 242-2 and 242-3. Proxy 2 and proxy 3 also may comprise a respective inter-process communications module 245 (not shown here). Accordingly, the coordinator data agent may use the inter-process communications module 245 to designate other data agents to act as controllers; to distribute job information thereto; to collect proxy and data agent information therefrom; to allow/assign data streams thereto; etc., without limitation.

Inter-process communications module 245 is shown herein as a distinct component to ease understanding of the present disclosure; however, alternative embodiments are also possible within the scope of the present invention, e.g., wherein module 245 may be a functional component of the respective virtual server data agent 242.

Logical communication pathways 274 depict inter-process communications between the illustrative data agents, e.g., between coordinator data agent 242-1 and controller 242-2, and also between the coordinator data agent 242-1 and controller 242-3. Logical communication pathways 274 are enabled at least in part by inter-process communications module 245.

FIG. 3 depicts some salient operations of a method 300 according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Method 300 is illustratively directed at executing a streaming backup job for a set of VMs in system 200. The salient operations of method 300 described herein are executed by one or more components of system 200, as detailed further below. An illustrative backup job for a set of virtual machines in system 200 may be triggered by a storage policy stored in management database 146 in a manner well known in the art.

At block 302, storage manager 240 may choose a VSDA 242 to designate as a coordinator data agent for the backup job. Accordingly, storage manager 240 may designate VSDA 242-1 to act as coordinator data agent, e.g., by communicating the designation to VSDA 242-1. Storage manager 240 may further designate other VSDAs to act as controller data agents under the coordination of the coordinator data agent 242-1. Accordingly, storage manager 240 may designate VSDA 242-2 and VSDA 242-3 to act as controller data agents, e.g., by communicating the respective designations thereto.

At block 304, the initialization process takes place for the designated coordinator data agent 242-1. More detail is provided in a subsequent figure.

At block 306, coordinator data agent 242-1 may generate an ordered priority list of the set of VMs to be backed up, e.g., priority list 243, which is based on eligible proxies and VM storage size. As explained in more detail later, the ordered priority list initially comprises the entire set of VMs to be backed up in the backup job; in subsequent rounds (i.e., after block 312) a new/revised ordered priority list will comprise VMs that were stranded after a backup attempt at block 308. Several rounds may be necessary to successfully back up the entire set of VMs. More detail is provided in a subsequent figure.

At block 308, coordinator data agent 242-1 attempts to back up the set of VMs using an allowed number of data streams for the backup job, e.g., two data streams, but the VMs are not necessarily backed up in the order of the priority list 243. More detail is provided in a subsequent figure.

At block 310, which is a decision point, coordinator data agent 242-1 determines whether any of the VMs in the set of VMs to be backed up have remained “stranded,” i.e., could not be backed up in the preceding attempt at block 308. If stranded VMs remain, control passes to block 312. Otherwise, after the entire set of VMs has been backed up, the backup job is considered complete and may successfully end. Ending the backup job may include reporting job metadata and statistics to storage manager 240; and may also include rescinding the coordinator and controller roles of the participating VSDAs 242 until such time as a new job is begun.

At block 312, which occurs when stranded VMs remain after an attempt, coordinator data agent 242-1 pends the backup job and restarts the backup job based only on the stranded VMs, passing control back to block 306, where a new priority list is to be generated for the stranded VMs. In this new priority list, the set of eligible proxies for each stranded VM may vary from the eligible proxies in an earlier priority list, because lower tiers of preference for access modes to the stranded VMs' data stores may be allowed in subsequent rounds in order to reduce the chances of re-stranding a VM. Several rounds may be necessary to successfully back up the entire set of VMs. More details are provided in a subsequent figure (see, e.g., block 610 in FIG. 6).

FIG. 4 depicts some salient sub-operations of block 304 of method 300. At block 304, the initialization process takes place for the designated coordinator data agent 242-1. In general, coordinator data agent 242-1 performs the operations of block 304, in conjunction and/or in communication with other components of system 200 as detailed below.

At block 402, coordinator data agent 242-1 establishes inter-process communications (e.g., using inter-process communications module 254) with the coordinator data agents, e.g., 242-2 and 242-3. In some embodiments, coordinator data agent 242-1 may identify and designate the controllers, e.g., at block 302. Block 402 also may comprise coordinator data agent 242-1 identifying the proxies in system 200 that may be involved in the present backup job—the proxies illustratively being the platforms that execute the respective coordinator and controller data agents, e.g., proxy 1, proxy 2, and proxy 3.

At block 404, coordinator data agent 242-1 may collect job-related information for the backup job. The job-related information may be collected by querying storage manager 240 and/or management database 146. The job-related information may comprise, without limitation: the identities of the VMs to be backed up in the present backup job; the operational properties of each VM, e.g., processing capacity, storage units, storage capacity of storage units; the number and identities of the storage devices (e.g., disks) that house the VMs' data stores to be backed up (e.g., 204-1, 204-2, 204-3, 204-4); and/or the number of data streams allowed for the backup job.

The number of data streams allowed for the backup job may be a parameter specified in the storage policy that governs the backup job. The number of data streams allowed for the backup job may be a function of the number of primary storage devices storing the data stores to be backed up, in the sense that too many data streams directed to or tapping a primary storage device 204 may be detrimental to the performance of that primary storage device in the production environment and hence the need to limit how many data streams may tap the device for a secondary copy operation. Thus, the specifics of system 200's network topology and resources may determine how many data streams may be allowed for certain backup jobs.

At block 406, coordinator data agent 242-1 collects operational properties of the proxies that may be candidates for backing up the set of VMs to be backed up. The proxy properties may be collected by querying storage manager 240 and/or management database 146 and/or by querying the proxies themselves. The proxy properties may comprise, without limitation: the CPU count and/or capacity of the proxy; and/or the amount of random-access memory (RAM) of the proxy. As explained in more detail below, the proxy properties affect a maximum limit of data streams that may be assigned to a given proxy at a system-wide level, across a plurality of active jobs that the proxy may be involved in at any given time.

At block 408, coordinator data agent 242-1 may use the proxy properties to determine a maximum limit of data streams that may be assigned to each respective proxy. Each proxy, e.g., proxy 1, proxy 2, proxy 3, is given a system-wide maximum limit of assignable data streams it may use concurrently across a plurality of active jobs that the proxy may be involved in at any given time, including the present job. According to the illustrative embodiment, the proxy's computing power, as measured in CPU and RAM, will affect how many data streams the proxy is allowed to process concurrently at any given time. For example, the number of CPUs in a multiprocessor-equipped proxy may affect the limit of assignable data streams.

Illustratively, the maximum limit of assignable data streams for a given proxy=MINIMUM of: (a) (10 data streams for each CPU processor in the proxy), and (b) (1 data stream for each 100 MB RAM in the proxy). For example, a proxy with 8 CPUs and 200 MB RAM would receive a maximum limit of allowable data streams of MINIMUM of [(10*8 CPUs), (2*100 MB RAM)]=2 data streams maximum. A proxy having 2 CPUs and 2 GB RAM would receive a maximum limit of assignable data streams of MINIMUM of ((10*2 CPUs), (20*100 MB RAM))=20 data streams maximum.

FIG. 5 depicts some salient sub-operations of block 306 of method 300. At block 306, coordinator data agent 242-1 generates an ordered priority list of the set of VMs to be backed up, e.g., priority list 243, which is based on eligible proxies and VM storage size. The ordered priority list initially comprises the entire set of VMs to be backed up in the backup job; in subsequent rounds (i.e., after block 312) a new/revised ordered priority list will comprise only VMs that were stranded after a prior backup attempt at block 308. Several rounds may be necessary to successfully back up the entire set of VMs.

At block 502, coordinator data agent 242-1 may define a set of VMs that are to be backed up. Initially, the set comprises all the VMs to be backed up in the present backup job, e.g., according to a governing storage policy. In a later round that is needed after VMs were stranded without backup (i.e., after block 312), the present block will define the set of stranded VMs that still remain to be backed up in the present backup job.

At block 504, coordinator data agent 242-1 may identify the proxy or proxies that are eligible to back up each VM in the set. Eligibility is illustratively based on predefined modes of access that define how a proxy may access the VM's data store. Each distinct mode of access is given a tier of preference, which may determine whether the proxy is considered to be eligible to back up the proxy in the present round. The illustrative embodiment contemplates that only the highest-tier proxies will be eligible to back up a VM in the initial round, but lower-tier proxies may be eligible in subsequent rounds to address stranded VMs. More details are provided in FIG. 6.

At block 506, coordinator data agent 242-1, having identified which proxies are eligible to back up a given VM according to tiered access modes, generates an association between the VM and its eligible proxies. See, e.g., Table 1, which shows the highest-tier proxy/proxies associated with each subject VM in an initial round of generating the ordered priority list.

At block 508, coordinator data agent 242-1 orders the set of VMs in order of increasing number of associated eligible proxies. The rationale here is that VMs having fewer proxy choices should be backed up (or at least considered for backup) ahead of VMs with more choices, since the latter would be less likely to be stranded with more choices of eligible proxies.

At block 510, which is a decision block, coordinator data agent 242-1 may break a tie in the ordering of VMs. If block 508 yields no ties, control passes to block 516 where the ordered priority list is deemed to be complete. However, to break a tie in the ordering of two or more VMs at block 508, control passes to block 512.

At block 512, coordinator data agent 242-1 calculates a storage-size metric for each of the tied VMs, illustratively based on (i) the number of allocated storage units for the VM (e.g., disks), and (ii) the respective amount of storage space on each unit. Illustratively, the storage-size metric may be the total amount of storage (e.g., in MB) allocated to the VM. See, e.g., Table 1.

At block 514, coordinator data agent 242-1 may break the tie by ordering VMs with the same number of associated eligible proxies in decreasing order of the respective storage-size metric, e.g., decreasing total amount of storage. This is illustrated in Table 1. The rationale here is that larger data stores should be given preference, because their backups may take longer and are therefore more likely to become stranded, whereas backing up a smaller data store may more easily “fit into” the backup job.

At block 516, the ordered priority list is considered completed and block 306 may end here.

FIG. 6 depicts some salient sub-operations of block 504 in block 306 of method 300. At block 504, coordinator data agent 242-1 may identify the proxy or proxies that are eligible to back up each VM as it builds up the ordered priority list. Eligibility is illustratively based on predefined modes of access that define how a proxy may access the VM's data store. Each distinct mode of access is given a tier of preference, which may determine whether the proxy is considered to be eligible to back up the proxy in the present round. The illustrative embodiment contemplates that only the highest-tier proxies will be eligible to back up a VM in the initial round, but lower-tier proxies may be eligible in subsequent rounds to address stranded VMs.

At block 602, coordinator data agent 242-1 will begin an execution loop to traverse every VM in the set of VMs. The loop illustratively comprises blocks 604, 606, 608, and 610.

At block 604, coordinator data agent 242-1 may analyze data in management database 146 to determine which proxies in system 200 are candidates to back up the present VM. Only platforms with a properly installed and/or active virtual server data agent 242 that is also suitable for the given VM may be a candidate. Accordingly, coordinator data agent 242-1 generates a set of candidate proxies for backing up the present VM.

At block 606, coordinator data agent 242-1 may further analyze data in management database 146 and/or other sources of system 200 to determine an access mode that is available to each candidate proxy for accessing the VM's data store as the backup source. The access mode may also be referred to as a “read mode” or “transport mode.” The access mode depends on how a proxy may access the storage device that stores the VM's data store, which means that the access mode is highly dependent on component and network configurations in system 200. Some of the network information may be obtained from network components, such as routers, VM servers/hosts, and/or from the proxy itself.

At block 608, coordinator data agent 242-1 may classify each candidate proxy according to predefined access modes to the VM's data store(s) to be backed up. Tiers of preference are associated with the different access modes. Illustratively, the access modes and tiers are defined as follows in decreasing order of preference:

-   -   (I) Storage area network (e.g., FC SAN) access directly to the         storage device storing the VM's data store. This access mode         does not require access or connectivity to the VM's host, e.g.,         VM server 203-2, and therefore generally does not interfere with         the VM host's operations. An illustrative example of this access         mode is shown in FIG. 2B, where VSDA proxy 2 (i.e., host 252)         may access the data store of VM-R on primary storage device         204-1 directly via FC protocol using communication pathway 206.         VM-R is hosted by VM server 203-2, but proxy 2 accesses the         storage device 204-1 directly using FC SAN, without accessing VM         server 203-2. This access mode is classified as the highest tier         of preference.     -   (II) Local access to the storage device storing the VM's data         store from the same computing device that also hosts the VM.         This access mode takes advantage of the co-location of the VM         and the proxy on a certain computing device to access a storage         device that is local to the computing device. An illustrative         example of this access mode is shown in FIG. 2B, where VM-N is a         proxy candidate for VM-A and VM-B, all of which VMs are hosted         by the same computing device, i.e., VM server 203-1. If the data         stores of VM-A and VM-B are on a storage device that is local to         VM server 203-1, such as storage devices 204-2, 204-3, and         204-4, VM-N as proxy 1 may locally access those data stores via         the underlying data connectivity offered by the host VM server         203-1. This access mode makes use of an additional resource,         i.e., a VM server, which is otherwise involved in the production         environment and therefore makes this access mode less desirable.         This access mode is classified as a lower tier of preference         than storage area network access above.     -   (III) Networked access to the computing device that hosts the VM         and its data store, e.g., “network block device.” This access         mode occurs when the proxy lacks direct or local access to a         VM's data store and must instead gain access by tapping the VM's         host for access. The data store may be referred to as a “network         block device.” An illustrative example of this access mode is         shown in FIG. 2B, where VM-X as proxy 3 needs to access the data         store of VM-A, which is part of VM server 203-1. Since VM-X is         hosted by VM server 203-2 and VM-A's data store is stored in         storage device 204-2 on VM server 203-1, VM-X's access as a         proxy is limited to a networked connection to VM server 203-1.         This mode makes use of additional resources, i.e., VM servers,         which are otherwise involved in the production environment and         therefore this access mode is less desirable. This access mode         is classified as a lower tier of preference than local access         above.     -   (IV) Complex networking. This access mode contemplates a more         complex networking access scenario and would therefore be even         less desirable than the networked access mode above and is         therefore classified as an even lower tier of preference.         Examples of complex networking may include, without limitation:         low bandwidth connections which are slow; wireless connections         which may be slow, unreliable, or costly; distant components         that may be plagued by unreliable, slow, and/or costly         connectivity; international components that cross country         boundaries and may be subject to legal constraints, higher         costs, etc. Proxy 1 may be an example of complex networking         access to the data store of VM-R on storage device 204-1.

Accordingly, each candidate proxy that is identified relative to the present VM is classified at block 608 according to the tiers of preference above. Notably, the mode of access and the corresponding classification depends on the identity of the VM being backed up and where it stores its data store and the identity of the candidate proxy. Thus, any given proxy may be differently classified relative to various VMs for which it is a candidate for backup. For example, relative to VM-R and its data store on 204-1, proxy 2 would receive the highest tier of preference; but relative to VM-A and its data store on 204-2, proxy 2 may receive the lowest tier of preference, as there is no local access and no “easy” networked access at least as depicted in FIG. 2B.

At block 610, coordinator data agent 242-1 may define the highest-tier candidate proxies for the VM as the proxies that are eligible to back up the VM in the present round. As shown in Table 1, only the highest-tier proxies initially become associated with a VM on the priority list. If VMs become stranded after a first traversal of the priority list, as described in regard to blocks 310 and 312 in FIG. 3, when method 300 reaches block 610 in the next round of processing, the next lower tier of preference would also be allowed for making candidate proxies eligible in order to broaden the field of possibilities for successfully finding the resources to timely back up the VMs. Assuming that all the VMs were stranded after a first round, an example of the new priority list generated at block 306 might look like this, using the highest and next-highest tiers of preference to define eligible proxies:

TABLE 2 Illustrative Priority List 243 for Stranded VMs in a Second Round VM Eligible Proxies Storage-Size Metric VM-R 2, 3 9 MB VM-B 1, 3 5 MB VM-P 3, 1 4 MB VM-Q 3, 1 2 MB VM-A 1, 3 1 MB

After block 610 completes, control passes back to block 602 for the next VM in the set of VMs. After all VMs in the set have been analyzed and eligible proxies found for them, block 504 may end.

FIG. 7 depicts some salient sub-operations of block 308 of method 300. At block 308, coordinator data agent 242-1 attempts to back up the set of VMs using an allowed number of data streams for the backup job, e.g., two data streams, but the VMs are not necessarily backed up in the order of the priority list 243, as will be seen from the detailed description herein.

At block 702, which may be reached after blocks 716 and/or 720, coordinator data agent 242-1 must first determine whether any data streams are currently allowed to be started in the present backup job, and if they are all in use and none is currently available, coordinator data agent 242-1 waits until a data stream is released and becomes available, e.g., after a VM backup is completed. The number of allowed data streams for the backup job was obtained at block 404.

At block 704, having determined that a new data stream is allowed, coordinator data agent 242-1 must determine which proxy is to be designated the next available proxy, i.e., which proxy to use for the next VM backup in the present backup job. Referring to FIGS. 2B and 2C and Table 1 as an example, coordinator data agent 242-1 must determine whether proxy 1, 2, or 3 should be the next available proxy. This determination is based on stream utilization at the proxies and more detail in this regard is given in a subsequent figure. In general, the purpose of this block is to choose a less busy proxy as the best candidate for the next operation in the backup job. It should be noted that coordinator data agent 242-1 may itself be the next available proxy and may perform any number of secondary storage operations in the backup job, while also carrying out its role of coordinator. On the other hand, the next available proxy may be a controller data agent. According to the illustrative embodiment, method 300 does not consider a data agent's coordinator or controller role when designating the next available proxy, although it may do so in alternative embodiments, e.g., favoring a controller over a coordinator, all other factors being equal, etc.

At block 706, having identified a next available proxy, coordinator data agent 242-1 may begin traversing the current priority list 243 starting with the highest priority VM at the top of the list (see, e.g., Table 1) to identify a first VM that is awaiting backup, e.g., VM-R.

At block 708, which is a decision point, coordinator data agent 242-1 may determine whether the next available proxy identified at block 704 is eligible to back up the VM from block 706. If yes, e.g., proxy 2 in Table 1, control passes to block 712, but if it not eligible, then control passes to block 710 for the next VM on the priority list 243.

At block 710, coordinator data agent 242-1 continues traversing priority list 243 to the next preferred VM awaiting backup (e.g., VM-B in Table 1) according to block 706 and 708. If coordinator data agent 242-1 has traversed the entire priority list 243 and found no VMs awaiting backup that the next available proxy is eligible to back up, control passes back to block 704 to identify another next available proxy.

At block 712, which is a decision point, coordinator data agent 242-1 determines whether the data store of the VM that the next available proxy is eligible to back up has a suitable data store activity score, illustratively whether the data store activity score is over a threshold. If the data store activity score is NOT over the threshold, control passes to block 716. If the data store activity score is over the threshold, control passes to block 714. The data activity score is illustratively defined as the number of active backup data streams currently in use at the storage device housing the VM's data store. Thus, for example, if storage device 204-1 currently participates in a backup operation with one data stream, its score would be determined to be 1.

The purpose of the present decision block is to favor VMs whose data stores are currently idle in favor of other VMs, which may be higher in the priority list 243 but which have active data stores whose performance may be impacted by starting the present backup operation. Thus, illustratively, the threshold for the present decision point may be 1. Thus, for example, if VM-R's data store on storage device 204-1 is already engaged in a backup operation, its score would be 1, and VM-R may get passed over for backup based on the present decision block.

At block 714, which is reached when the data store activity score is over the threshold, coordinator data agent 242-1 may pass control back to block 706 to find another VM on the priority list 243 that is awaiting backup, progressing through the priority list in decreasing order of VM priority. When block 714 is reached again at a later time and coordinator data agent 242-1 determines that all the VMs at this point exceed the data store activity threshold, i.e., all the VMs for which the coordinator data agent is evaluating the next available proxy have busy data stores, the coordinator data agent 242-1 will increment the threshold value to a higher baseline figure and return control back to block 706 to re-traverse the priority list.

At block 716, which is reached when the data store activity score is NOT over the threshold, the process reaches a point where a VM backup operation is appropriate, because the next available proxy identified at block 704 is eligible to back up the VM identified at block 706 and also the VM's data store is not too busy. Accordingly, coordinator data agent 242-1 may spawn a VM backup process at the next available proxy determined at block 704 which will occur at block 718; coordinator data agent 242-1 will then “ask” for another data stream by passing control back to block 702.

At block 718, the next available proxy identified at block 704 performs the secondary copy operations of the backup job for the VM, e.g., a streaming backup of the VM. The operations conducted by the proxy and the virtual server data agent 242 at this point are well known in the art. For example, VSDA 242 may format the VM's data from the data store and transmit it to a media agent 144 (see, e.g., logical data flows 221 and 222). For example, the media agent 144 will further manipulate (e.g., deduplicate) and index the data for storage to a secondary storage device 108 (see, e.g., logical data flow 223). This block may also include the proxy reporting statistics and index information to storage manager 240, and also reporting the VM backup being completed to coordinator data agent 242-1, as well as releasing any data streams used in performing the VM backup, e.g., by notifying coordinator data agent 242-1 to that effect.

At block 720, following the successful completion of the VM's backup, coordinator data agent 242-1 may remove the backed up VM from priority list 243. Coordinator data agent 242-1 will then “ask” for another data stream by passing control back to block 702.

FIG. 8 depicts some salient sub-operations of block 704 in block 308 of method 300. At block 704, coordinator data agent 242-1 must determine which proxy to designate as the next available proxy, i.e., which proxy will perform the next VM backup in the backup job.

At block 802, coordinator data agent 242-1 may define a set of candidate proxies that are suitable for a currently allowed data stream. The determination may be based on analyzing the current priority list 243, polling storage manager 240, consulting a local data structure generated in the course of generating priority list 243, etc., and/or any combination thereof.

At block 804, coordinator data agent 242-1 will begin an execution loop to evaluate all the candidate proxies. The loop illustratively comprises blocks 806 and 808.

At block 806, coordinator data agent 242-1 may identify the number of data streams currently active at the proxy across any and all jobs that the proxy is currently participating in. Thus, the number of currently active data streams at the proxy is a global figure that may reach across several jobs currently operating in system 200. The purpose of using this figure is to better balance the candidate proxies in a system-wide context rather than merely analyzing the present backup job.

At block 808, coordinator data agent 242-1 may compute a stream utilization score for the proxy. The stream utilization score may be based on: (i) the maximum data-stream limit for the proxy (e.g., from block 408), and (ii) the number of currently active data streams at the proxy across all jobs. Illustratively, the stream utilization score for the proxy is the percentage value of the ratio of element (ii) to element (i), i.e., utilization=(ii)/(i) %. Control passes back to block 804 so that coordinator data agent 242-1 may evaluate the stream utilization of all candidate proxies.

At block 810, having evaluated the current stream utilization at all candidate proxies, coordinator data agent 242-1 may choose the candidate proxy with the lowest stream utilization score. Accordingly, coordinator data agent 242-1 may designate the chosen proxy as the “next available proxy” and may then assign the currently available data stream in the backup job to the next available proxy for further processing. It should be remembered that the next available proxy identified at block 704 becomes the basis for finding a VM on the priority list for which the proxy is eligible to back up, as described in more detail in FIG. 7.

In regard to the components, blocks, operations and/or sub-operations described in reference to FIGS. 2A-8, other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention, such that the above-recited components, steps, blocks, operations, and/or messages/requests/queries/instructions/communications are differently arranged, sequenced, sub-divided, organized, and/or combined. In some embodiments, a different component may initiate or execute a given operation. In some components, the decisions may be based on different considerations and/or scores. Also, in some embodiments, scores may be based on different parameters, weights, and/or formulas, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Example Embodiments

According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a computer-implemented method for determining a per-proxy limit of data streams allowed for backup operations in a storage management system, the method comprising: (I) designating, by a storage manager component of the storage management system, a first data agent to act as coordinator of a first backup job, wherein the first backup job is configured to perform secondary copy operations for a first set of virtual machines in the storage management system, wherein the coordinator data agent executes on a first virtual machine, and wherein the first virtual machine is designated a first proxy, and wherein the first virtual machine executes on a first computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory; (II) designating, by the storage manager, a second data agent to act as controller in the first backup job, wherein the controller data agent executes on a second computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, and wherein the second computing device is designated a second proxy; (III) collecting, by the coordinator data agent, information about operational properties of the first proxy and the second proxy; (IV) determining, by the coordinator data agent, a respective maximum limit of data streams assignable to each of the first proxy and the second proxy, wherein the respective maximum limit of data streams is based on the operational properties of each respective proxy; and (V) wherein each proxy may concurrently use no more than the respective maximum limit of data streams in the course of performing one or more backup jobs in the storage management system, including while performing the first backup job.

The above-recited method may further comprise: assigning, by the coordinator data agent, a first data stream to the first proxy in the course of performing the first backup job, wherein the first data stream originates at a first storage device comprising virtual-machine data being backed up in the first backup job and terminates at the coordinator data agent that executes on the first proxy; and wherein the first proxy concurrently uses no more than the maximum limit of data streams determined by the coordinator data agent for the first proxy based on the operational properties of the first proxy. The above-recited method may further comprise: assigning, by the coordinator data agent, a first data stream to the second proxy in the course of performing the first backup job, wherein the first data stream originates at a first storage device comprising virtual-machine data being backed up in the first backup job and terminates at the controller data agent that executes on the second proxy; and wherein the second proxy concurrently uses no more than the maximum limit of data streams determined by the coordinator data agent for the second proxy based on the operational properties of the second proxy. The above-recited method wherein the coordinator data agent is configured for backing up, at least in part, one or more virtual machines in the storage management system.

The above-recited method wherein the controller data agent is configured for backing up, at least in part, one or more virtual machines in the storage management system. The above-recited method wherein the coordinator data agent and the controller data agent are virtual-server data agents, which are configured for backup of virtual machines in the storage management system. The above-recited method wherein the first set of virtual machines comprises a first subset of virtual machines that execute on a first host computing device, and a second subset of virtual machines that execute on a second host computing device. The above-recited method wherein the first proxy which hosts the coordinator data agent executes on the same computing device as the first subset of virtual machines, such that the first computing device coincides with the first host computing device. The above-recited method wherein the second host computing device which executes the second subset of virtual machines is distinct from the second proxy which executes the controller data agent. The above-recited method may further comprise: designating, by the storage manager, a third data agent to act as a second controller in the first backup job, wherein the third data agent executes on a second virtual machine which is designated a third proxy, and wherein the second virtual machine executes on a third computing device, which is distinct from the first computing device that executes the first virtual machine; establishing inter-process communications between the coordinator data agent and the second controller data agent; further collecting, by the coordinator data agent, information about operational properties of the third proxy; determining, by the coordinator data agent, a respective maximum limit of data streams assignable to the third proxy based on the operational properties of the third proxy; assigning, by the coordinator data agent, a first data stream to the third proxy in the course of performing the first backup job, wherein the first data stream originates at a first storage device comprising virtual-machine data being backed up in the first backup job and terminates at the second controller data agent that executes on the third proxy; and wherein the second proxy concurrently uses, in the course of performing one or more backup jobs including the first backup job, no more than the respective maximum limit of data streams determined by the coordinator data agent for the third proxy based on the operational properties of the third proxy.

The above-recited method may further comprise: collecting, by the coordinator data agent, job-related information for executing the first backup job; and wherein the job-related information for executing the first backup job comprises one or more of: the identities of the first set of virtual machines to be backed up, one or more operational properties of each virtual machine in the first set, information about one or more storage devices storing virtual-machine data to be backed up, and a maximum number of data streams allowed to be used concurrently while performing the first backup job. The above-recited method wherein the operational properties of each respective proxy for which information is collected by the coordinator data agent comprise at least one of: a processing capacity of the respective proxy, and an amount of random-access memory of the respective proxy; and wherein the maximum limit of data streams assignable to each respective proxy is based on the at least one of: the processing capacity of the respective proxy, and the amount of random-access memory of the respective proxy. The above-recited method wherein the maximum limit of data streams assignable to each respective proxy positively correlates to at least one of: the processing capacity of the respective proxy, and the amount of random-access memory of the respective proxy. The above-recited method may further comprise: establishing inter-process communications between the coordinator data agent and the controller data agent. The above-recited method wherein the job-related information for executing the first backup job is collected by the coordinator data agent from a storage policy stored by the storage manager.

According to another illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a computer-readable medium, excluding transitory propagating signals, storing instructions that, when executed by at least one computing device, may cause the computing device to perform a method for managing backup operations in a storage management system, the method comprising: (I) collecting, by a designated coordinator for a first backup job in a storage management system, information about operational properties of a first proxy and a second proxy, wherein the coordinator operates as the first proxy, wherein a designated controller operates as the second proxy, and wherein the first backup job is associated with one or more secondary copy operations for a first set of virtual machines; (II) determining, by the coordinator, a respective limit of data streams for each of the first proxy and the second proxy, wherein the respective limit of data streams is based on the operational properties of each respective proxy; and (III) wherein each proxy is constrained by the limit of data streams in the course of performing one or more backup jobs in the storage management system, including while performing the first backup job. The above-recited computer-readable medium wherein the coordinator is a data agent that executes on a first computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, and wherein the controller is a data agent that executes on a first virtual machine, and wherein the first virtual machine executes on a second computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory. The above-recited computer-readable medium wherein the limit of data streams for each of the first proxy and the second proxy is based on the at least one of: the processing capacity of the respective proxy, and the amount of random-access memory of the respective proxy.

According to another example embodiment, a computer-implement method for generating an ordered priority list of a first set of virtual machines to be backed up in a storage management system, the method to be executed by a computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, the method may comprise: (I) associating each virtual machine in the first set of virtual machines with one or more proxies from a set of candidate proxies in the storage management system, wherein the associating includes determining which of candidate proxies are eligible to back up a respective virtual machine; (II) ordering the first set of virtual machines into a priority list in order of increasing number of associated eligible proxies for the respective virtual machine; and (III) in the course of executing the first backup job, assigning to a first virtual machine in the first set being wherein the ordering into the priority list comprises breaking a tie among a plurality of virtual machines in the first set by ordering the virtual machines in the plurality in decreasing of the total amount of storage allocated to each respective virtual machine. The above-recited method wherein the ordering into the priority list comprises breaking a tie among a plurality of virtual machines in the first set by ordering the virtual machines in the plurality in decreasing order of a storage-size metric associated with the respective virtual machine. The above-recited method wherein the storage-size metric for a given virtual machine is based on at least one of: a number of storage units allocated to the given virtual machine, and a respective storage space for each of the number of storage units. The above-recited method wherein the storage-size metric for a given virtual machine is based on a total amount of storage allocated to the given virtual machine, such that the breaking of the tie among the plurality of virtual machines results in ordering the plurality of virtual machines in decreasing order of the total amount of storage allocated to each respective virtual machine. The above-recited method wherein each virtual machine in the ordered priority list is associated with at least one eligible proxy. The above-recited method wherein a virtual machine in the ordered priority list is associated with a higher priority if that virtual machine is connected to a storage area network (SAN) or if that virtual machine has the largest amount of data to back up as compared to other virtual machines in the first set of virtual machines. The above-recited method may further comprise: designating, by a storage manager component of the storage management system, a first data agent to act as coordinator of the first backup job, wherein the first backup job is configured to perform secondary copy operations for the first set of virtual machines in the storage management system, and wherein the coordinator data agent executes on a first computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory which is designated a first proxy; designating, by the storage manager, a second data agent to act as controller in the first backup job, wherein the controller data agent executes on a second computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory which is designated a second proxy; and wherein any given eligible proxy executes a data agent that is suitable for backing up data associated with the one or more virtual machines that the respective proxy is eligible to back up.

According to yet another illustrative embodiment, a computer-readable medium, excluding transitory propagating signals, storing instructions that, when executed by at least one computing device, each computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, may cause the computing device to perform a method for generating an ordered priority list of a first set of virtual machines to be backed up in a storage management system, the method comprising: (I) associating each virtual machine in the first set of virtual machines with one or more proxies from a set of candidate proxies in the storage management system, wherein the associating includes determining which of candidate proxies are eligible to back up a respective virtual machine; (II) ordering the first set of virtual machines into a priority list in order of increasing number of associated eligible proxies for the respective virtual machine; and (III) in the course of executing the first backup job, assigning to a first virtual machine in the first set being backed up, a first eligible proxy based on the ordered priority list. The above-recited computer-readable medium wherein the ordering into the priority list comprises breaking a tie among a plurality of virtual machines in the first set by ordering the virtual machines in the plurality in decreasing of the total amount of storage allocated to each respective virtual machine. The above-recited computer-readable medium wherein each virtual machine in the ordered priority list is associated with at least one eligible proxy. The above-recited computer-readable medium wherein a virtual machine in the ordered priority list is associated with a higher priority if that virtual machine is connected to a storage area network (SAN) or if that virtual machine has the largest amount of data to back up as compared to other virtual machines in the first set of virtual machines. The above-recited computer-readable medium wherein the method further comprises: designating, by a storage manager component of the storage management system, a first data agent to act as coordinator of the first backup job, wherein the first backup job is configured to perform secondary copy operations for the first set of virtual machines in the storage management system, and wherein the coordinator data agent executes on a first computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory which is designated a first proxy; designating, by the storage manager, a second data agent to act as controller in the first backup job, wherein the controller data agent executes on a second computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory which is designated a second proxy; and wherein any given eligible proxy executes a data agent that is suitable for backing up data associated with the one or more virtual machines that the respective proxy is eligible to back up.

According to another example embodiment of the present invention, a computer-readable medium, excluding transitory propagating signals, storing instructions that, when executed by at least one computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising: (I) identifying one or more proxies in a storage management system that are eligible to back up a given virtual machine in a first set of virtual machines in the storage management system, wherein any one proxy among the one or more proxies represents one of: (a) a first virtual machine that executes on a first computing device, wherein the first virtual machine executes a data agent for virtual-machine backup, and (b) a second computing device that executes a data agent for virtual-machine backup; (II) wherein the identifying comprises: (i) determining (A) a set of candidate proxies that are candidates to back up the given virtual machine, and (B) a mode of access available to each respective candidate proxy for accessing the given virtual machine's data as a source for backup, wherein the mode of access has a predefined tier of preference; (ii) classifying each candidate proxy in the set of candidate proxies based on the predefined tier of preference for the respective candidate proxy's mode of access to the given virtual machine's data as the source for backup; and (iii) defining one or more candidate proxies that are classified as having the highest-tier of preference as being eligible to back up the given virtual machine.

According to another embodiment, a computer-readable medium, excluding transitory propagating signals, storing instructions that, when executed by at least one computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, may cause the computing device to perform a method comprising: (I) identifying a plurality of proxies for collectively backing up the set of virtual machines in a storage management system, wherein any one proxy among the plurality of proxies represents one of: (a) a first virtual machine that executes on a first computing device, wherein the first virtual machine executes a first virtual-server data agent for virtual-machine backup, and (b) a second computing device that executes the first virtual-server data agent for virtual-machine backup; (II) identifying a first proxy among the plurality of proxies, wherein the first proxy is available for backup using a first data stream which terminates at the first proxy; (III) identifying a second virtual machine on a priority list that identifies a set of virtual machines awaiting backup, wherein the priority list orders the set of virtual machines in increasing order of the number of proxies that are eligible to back up each respective virtual machine; and (IV) if the first proxy is eligible to back up the second virtual machine and a score of the second virtual machine's data store is under a predefined threshold, causing a backup process for the second virtual machine to be launched at the first proxy, wherein the first proxy backs up, at least in part, the second virtual machine using the first data stream, and wherein the first data stream originates at a first storage device comprising the second virtual machine's data store. The above-recited computer-readable medium wherein the set of virtual machines awaiting backup is associated with a backup job in the storage management system.

According to yet one more embodiment of the present invention, a computer-implemented method for identifying a next available proxy for virtual-machine backup based on stream utilization at the proxy, the method to be executed by one or more computing devices having one or more respective processors and respective computer-readable memory, the method comprising: (I) defining, by a coordinator data agent that operates as a component of the storage management system, a set of candidate proxies for a virtual-machine backup job in the storage management system, wherein any one proxy in the set of candidate proxies represents one of: (a) a first virtual machine that executes on a first computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, wherein the first virtual machine executes a first virtual-server data agent for virtual-machine backup, and (b) a second computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, wherein the second computing device executes the first virtual-server data agent; (II) evaluating, by the coordinator data agent, the set of candidate proxies, wherein the evaluating for a given candidate proxy in the set of candidate proxies comprises: determining a maximum limit of data streams assignable to the given candidate proxy, based on operational properties of the given candidate proxy, identifying a number of data streams that are currently active at the given candidate proxy, including any data streams in the virtual-machine backup job and any data streams for other jobs in the storage management system, computing a data stream utilization score for the given candidate proxy, based on a ratio of (i) the number of data streams currently active at the given candidate proxy to (ii) the maximum limit of data streams assignable to the given candidate proxy, wherein any data stream considered in the evaluating operation terminates at the given candidate proxy; and (III) after evaluating the set of candidate proxies, assigning a new data stream, by the coordinator data agent, to a first proxy in the set of candidate proxies that has the lowest data stream utilization score among the set of candidate proxies.

The above-recited method wherein, in the course of performing operations for one or more backup jobs in the storage management system including for the virtual-machine backup job, the first proxy may concurrently use no more than the respective maximum limit of data streams assignable to the first proxy. The above-recited method wherein the operational properties of the first proxy comprise at least one of: a processing capacity of the first proxy, and an amount of random-access memory of the first proxy; and wherein the maximum limit of data streams assignable to the first proxy is based on the at least one of: the processing capacity of the first proxy, and the amount of random-access memory of the first proxy. The above-recited method wherein the maximum limit of data streams assignable to the first proxy positively correlates to at least one of: the processing capacity of the first proxy, and the amount of random-access memory of the first proxy. The above-recited method may further comprise: identifying, by the coordinator data agent, a second virtual machine on a priority list that identifies a set of virtual machines awaiting backup in the virtual-machine backup job; and causing, by the coordinator data agent, a backup process for the second virtual machine to be launched at the first proxy using the new data stream.

In other embodiments, a system or systems may operate according to one or more of the methods and/or according to the computer-readable media recited in the preceding paragraphs. In yet other embodiments, a method or methods may operate according to one or more of the systems and/or according to the computer-readable media recited in the preceding paragraphs. In yet more embodiments, a computer-readable medium or media, excluding transitory propagating signals, may cause one or more computing devices having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory to operate according to one or more of the systems and/or methods recited in the preceding paragraphs.

According to another embodiment, a computer-implemented method may perform as generally shown and described herein and equivalents thereof. Likewise, a system as generally shown and described herein and equivalents thereof. Likewise, a tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, which when executed by at least one computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method as generally shown and described herein and equivalents thereof.

TERMINOLOGY

Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” As used herein, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” or any variant thereof means any connection or coupling, either direct or indirect, between two or more elements; the coupling or connection between the elements can be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used in this application, refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where the context permits, words in the above Detailed Description using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number respectively. The word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any one of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list. Likewise the term “and/or” in reference to a list of two or more items, covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any one of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

Depending on the embodiment, certain operations, acts, events, or functions of any of the algorithms described herein can be performed in a different sequence, can be added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g., not all are necessary for the practice of the algorithms). Moreover, in certain embodiments, operations, acts, functions, or events can be performed concurrently, e.g., through multi-threaded processing, interrupt processing, or multiple processors or processor cores or on other parallel architectures, rather than sequentially.

Systems and modules described herein may comprise software, firmware, hardware, or any combination(s) of software, firmware, or hardware suitable for the purposes described herein. Software and other modules may reside and execute on servers, workstations, personal computers, computerized tablets, PDAs, and other computing devices suitable for the purposes described herein. Software and other modules may be accessible via local memory, via a network, via a browser, or via other means suitable for the purposes described herein. Data structures described herein may comprise computer files, variables, programming arrays, programming structures, or any electronic information storage schemes or methods, or any combinations thereof, suitable for the purposes described herein. User interface elements described herein may comprise elements from graphical user interfaces, interactive voice response, command line interfaces, and other suitable interfaces.

Further, the processing of the various components of the illustrated systems can be distributed across multiple machines, networks, and other computing resources. In addition, two or more components of a system can be combined into fewer components. Various components of the illustrated systems can be implemented in one or more virtual machines, rather than in dedicated computer hardware systems and/or computing devices. Likewise, the data repositories shown can represent physical and/or logical data storage, including, for example, storage area networks or other distributed storage systems. Moreover, in some embodiments the connections between the components shown represent possible paths of data flow, rather than actual connections between hardware. While some examples of possible connections are shown, any of the subset of the components shown can communicate with any other subset of components in various implementations.

Embodiments are also described above with reference to flow chart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products. Each block of the flow chart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flow chart illustrations and/or block diagrams, may be implemented by computer program instructions. Such instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, specially-equipped computer (e.g., comprising a high-performance database server, a graphics subsystem, etc.) or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor(s) of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the acts specified in the flow chart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the acts specified in the flow chart and/or block diagram block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computing device or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operations to be performed on the computing device or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the acts specified in the flow chart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

Any patents and applications and other references noted above, including any that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the invention can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the various references described above to provide yet further implementations of the invention.

These and other changes can be made to the invention in light of the above Detailed Description. While the above description describes certain examples of the invention, and describes the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. Details of the system may vary considerably in its specific implementation, while still being encompassed by the invention disclosed herein. As noted above, particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific examples disclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the invention encompasses not only the disclosed examples, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention under the claims.

To reduce the number of claims, certain aspects of the invention are presented below in certain claim forms, but the applicant contemplates the various aspects of the invention in any number of claim forms. For example, while only one aspect of the invention is recited as a means-plus-function claim under 35 U.S.C sec. 112(f) (AIA), other aspects may likewise be embodied as a means-plus-function claim, or in other forms, such as being embodied in a computer-readable medium. Any claims intended to be treated under 35 U.S.C. §112(f) will begin with the words “means for”, but use of the term “for” in any other context is not intended to invoke treatment under 35 U.S.C. §112(f). Accordingly, the applicant reserves the right to pursue additional claims after filing this application, in either this application or in a continuing application. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: identifying one or more proxies in a storage management system that are eligible to back up a given virtual machine in a first set of virtual machines in the storage management system, wherein any one proxy among the one or more proxies represents one of: (a) a first virtual machine that executes on a first computing device, wherein the first virtual machine executes a data agent for virtual-machine backup, and (b) a second computing device that executes a data agent for virtual-machine backup; wherein the identifying comprises: (i) determining (A) a set of candidate proxies that are candidates to back up the given virtual machine, and (B) a mode of access available to each respective candidate proxy for accessing the given virtual machine's data as a source for backup, wherein the mode of access has a predefined tier of preference; (ii) classifying each candidate proxy in the set of candidate proxies based on the predefined tier of preference for the respective candidate proxy's mode of access to the given virtual machine's data as the source for backup; and (iii) defining one or more candidate proxies that are classified as having the highest-tier of preference as being eligible to back up the given virtual machine; and wherein the identifying is performed by a first data agent for virtual-machine backup that operates as a component of the storage management system.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining is based on analyzing, by the first data agent, data from a database which is associated with a storage manager component that manages the storage management system.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining is based on analyzing, by the first data agent, data from a database that is associated with a storage manager component that manages the storage management system, and wherein the storage manager designates the first data agent to act as a coordinator for a first backup job for the first set of virtual machines.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein a first mode of access wherein a candidate proxy has direct access to the given virtual machine's data via a storage area network has a higher tier of preference than a second mode of access wherein the candidate proxy is a virtual machine that executes on the same computing device as the given virtual machine to be backed up and has local access to the given virtual machine's data from the same computing device.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second mode of access has a higher tier of preference than a third mode of access wherein the candidate proxy is a virtual machine that executes on a different computing device from the given virtual machine to be backed up and has networked access to the given virtual machine's data.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the second mode of access has a higher tier of preference than a fourth mode of access wherein the candidate proxy has networked access to the given virtual machine's data as a network block device.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data agent, which performs the identifying, executes on a host computing device in the storage management system, wherein the host computing device is one of the first computing device, the second computing device, and a third computing device; and wherein each of the first computing device, the second computing device, and the third computing device comprises one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory for executing the first data agent.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data agent performs the identifying by executing on one of: the first virtual machine which executes on the first computing device, the second computing device, and a third computing device that is distinct from the first computing device and the second computing device; and wherein each of the first computing device, the second computing device, and the third computing device comprises one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory for executing the first data agent.
 9. A method for attempting to back up a first set of virtual machines in a storage management system, the method comprising: identifying, by a coordinator data agent that operates as a component of the storage management system, a plurality of proxies for collectively backing up the set of virtual machines in the storage management system, wherein any one proxy among the plurality of proxies represents one of: (a) a first virtual machine that executes on a first computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, wherein the first virtual machine executes a first virtual-server data agent for virtual-machine backup, and (b) a second computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, wherein the second computing device executes the first virtual-server data agent for virtual-machine backup; identifying, by the coordinator data agent, a first proxy among the plurality of proxies, wherein the first proxy is available for backup using a first data stream which terminates at the first proxy; identifying, by the coordinator data agent, a second virtual machine on a priority list that identifies a set of virtual machines awaiting backup, wherein the priority list orders the set of virtual machines in increasing order of the number of proxies that are eligible to back up each respective virtual machine: if the first proxy is eligible to back up the second virtual machine and a score of the second virtual machine's data store is under a predefined threshold, causing, by the coordinator data agent, a backup process for the second virtual machine to be launched at the first proxy, wherein the first proxy backs up, at least in part, the second virtual machine using the first data stream, and wherein the first data stream originates at a first storage device comprising the second virtual machine's data store: if the first proxy is eligible to back up the second virtual machine and the score of the second virtual machine's data store is not under the predefined threshold, identifying a third virtual machine on the priority list; and if the first proxy is eligible to back up the third virtual machine and a score of the third virtual machine's data store is under the predefined threshold, causing, by the coordinator data agent, a backup process for the third virtual machine to be launched at the first proxy, wherein the first proxy backs up, at least in part, the third virtual machine using the first data stream, and wherein the first data stream originates at a second storage device comprising the third virtual machine's data store.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the set of virtual machines awaiting backup is associated with a backup job in the storage management system, and further comprising: requesting, by the first proxy, a second data stream to be used for the backup job; and allowing, by the coordinator data agent, the second data stream to be used by the first proxy if a total number of data streams in concurrent use for the backup job does not exceed a predefined threshold.
 11. A method for attempting to back up a first set of virtual machines in a storage management system, the method comprising: identifying, by a coordinator data agent that operates as a component of the storage management system, a plurality of proxies for collectively backing up the set of virtual machines in the storage management system, wherein any one proxy among the plurality of proxies represents one of: (a) a first virtual machine that executes on a first computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, wherein the first virtual machine executes a first virtual-server data agent for virtual-machine backup, and (b) a second computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, wherein the second computing device executes the first virtual-server data agent for virtual-machine backup; identifying, by the coordinator data agent, a first proxy among the plurality of proxies, wherein the first proxy is available for backup using a first data stream which terminates at the first proxy; identifying, by the coordinator data agent, a second virtual machine on a priority list that identifies a set of virtual machines awaiting backup, wherein the priority list orders the set of virtual machines in increasing order of the number of proxies that are eligible to back up each respective virtual machine; if the first proxy is eligible to back up the second virtual machine and a score of the second virtual machine's data store is under a predefined threshold, causing, by the coordinator data agent, a backup process for the second virtual machine to be launched at the first proxy, wherein the first proxy backs up, at least in part, the second virtual machine using the first data stream, and wherein the first data stream originates at a first storage device comprising the second virtual machine's data store; if the first proxy is not eligible to back up the second virtual machine, identifying a third virtual machine on the priority list; and if the first proxy is eligible to back up the third virtual machine and a score of the third virtual machine's data store is under the predefined threshold, causing, by the coordinator data agent, a backup process for the third virtual machine to be launched at the first proxy, wherein the first proxy backs up, at least in part, the third virtual machine using the first data stream, and wherein the first data stream originates at a second storage device comprising the third virtual machine's data store.
 12. A method for attempting to back up a first set of virtual machines in a storage management system, the method comprising: identifying, by a coordinator data agent that operates as a component of the storage management system, a plurality of proxies for collectively backing up the set of virtual machines in the storage management system, wherein any one proxy among the plurality of proxies represents one of: (a) a first virtual machine that executes on a first computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, wherein the first virtual machine executes a first virtual-server data agent for virtual-machine backup, and (b) a second computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, wherein the second computing device executes the first virtual-server data agent for virtual-machine backup; identifying, by the coordinator data agent, a first proxy among the plurality of proxies, wherein the first proxy is available for backup using a first data stream which terminates at the first proxy; identifying, by the coordinator data agent, a second virtual machine on a priority list that identifies a set of virtual machines awaiting backup, wherein the priority list orders the set of virtual machines in increasing order of the number of proxies that are eligible to back up each respective virtual machine; if the first proxy is eligible to back up the second virtual machine and a score of the second virtual machine's data store is under a predefined threshold, causing, by the coordinator data agent, a backup process for the second virtual machine to be launched at the first proxy, wherein the first proxy backs up, at least in part, the second virtual machine using the first data stream, and wherein the first data stream originates at a first storage device comprising the second virtual machine's data store; wherein the set of virtual machines awaiting backup is associated with a backup job in the storage management system; and further comprising: if after traversing the priority list identifying the set of virtual machines, the coordinator data agent determines that a subset of the set of virtual machines is still awaiting backup: (i) pending the backup job, by the coordinator data agent; (ii) restarting the backup job, by the coordinator data agent, based only on the subset of virtual machines that are still awaiting backup, wherein the restarted backup job comprises: generating, by the coordinator data agent, a revised priority list identifying the virtual machines in the subset of virtual machines in order of increasing number of associated eligible proxies for each respective virtual machine, and identifying, by the coordinator data agent, a revised plurality of proxies for collectively backing up the subset of virtual machines.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the restarted backup job further comprises: coordinating, by the coordinator data agent, an attempt to back up the subset of virtual machines using the revised plurality of proxies.
 14. A method for attempting to back up a first set of virtual machines in a storage management system, the method comprising: identifying, by a coordinator data agent that operates as a component of the storage management system, a plurality of proxies for collectively backing up the set of virtual machines in the storage management system, wherein any one proxy among the plurality of proxies represents one of: (a) a first virtual machine that executes on a first computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, wherein the first virtual machine executes a first virtual-server data agent for virtual-machine backup, and (b) a second computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, wherein the second computing device executes the first virtual-server data agent for virtual-machine backup; identifying, by the coordinator data agent, a first proxy among the plurality of proxies, wherein the first proxy is available for backup using a first data stream which terminates at the first proxy; identifying, by the coordinator data agent, a second virtual machine on a priority list that identifies a set of virtual machines awaiting backup, wherein the priority list orders the set of virtual machines in increasing order of the number of proxies that are eligible to back up each respective virtual machine; if the first proxy is eligible to back up the second virtual machine and a score of the second virtual machine's data store is under a predefined threshold, causing, by the coordinator data agent, a backup process for the second virtual machine to be launched at the first proxy, wherein the first proxy backs up, at least in part, the second virtual machine using the first data stream, and wherein the first data stream originates at a first storage device comprising the second virtual machine's data store; wherein the identifying of the first proxy which is available for backup comprises choosing the first proxy from a set of candidate proxies based on the first proxy having the lowest data stream utilization score among the set of candidate proxies; and wherein the data stream utilization score for the first proxy is based on a ratio of (i) a number of data streams currently active at the first proxy to (ii) a maximum limit of data streams assignable to the first proxy, and wherein any data stream considered in the data stream utilization score terminates at the first proxy.
 15. A computer-readable medium, excluding transitory propagating signals, storing instructions that, when executed by at least one computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising: defining a set of candidate proxies for a virtual-machine backup job in a storage management system, wherein any one proxy in the set of candidate proxies represents one of: (a) a first virtual machine that executes on a first computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, wherein the first virtual machine executes a first virtual-server data agent for virtual-machine backup, and (b) a second computing device having one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, wherein the second computing device executes the first virtual-server data agent; evaluating the set of candidate proxies, wherein the evaluating for a given candidate proxy in the set of candidate proxies comprises: determining a maximum limit of data streams assignable to the given candidate proxy, based on operational properties of the given candidate proxy, identifying a number of data streams that are currently active at the given candidate proxy, including any data streams in the virtual-machine backup job and any data streams for other jobs in the storage management system, computing a data stream utilization score for the given candidate proxy, based on a ratio of (i) the number of data streams currently active at the given candidate proxy to (ii) the maximum limit of data streams assignable to the given candidate proxy, wherein any data stream considered in the evaluating operation terminates at the given candidate proxy; and assigning a new data stream to a first proxy in the set of candidate proxies that has the lowest data stream utilization score among the set of candidate proxies.
 16. The computer-readable medium claim 15, wherein, in the course of performing operations for one or more backup jobs in the storage management system including for the virtual-machine backup job, the first proxy may concurrently use no more than the respective maximum limit of data streams assignable to the first proxy.
 17. The computer-readable medium claim 15, wherein the operational properties of the first proxy comprise at least one of: a processing capacity of the first proxy, and an amount of random-access memory of the first proxy; and wherein the maximum limit of data streams assignable to the first proxy is based on the at least one of: the processing capacity of the first proxy, and the amount of random-access memory of the first proxy.
 18. The computer-readable medium claim 15, wherein the maximum limit of data streams assignable to the first proxy positively correlates to at least one of: the processing capacity of the first proxy, and the amount of random-access memory of the first proxy.
 19. The computer-readable medium claim 15 wherein the method further comprises: identifying a second virtual machine on a priority list that identifies a set of virtual machines awaiting backup in the virtual-machine backup job; and causing a backup process for the second virtual machine to be launched at the first proxy using the new data stream. 